Changes
by hellogoodbye57
Summary: Just another story about James and Lily's seventh year and how they finally got together. Rating is just to be safe.
1. Chapter 1

Lily Evans stared out the window into the night outside. Since it was the beginning of August, the sky had only begun to darken although it was almost 8:30. The streets of the town were finally calm after a rather lengthy rush hour—it was Friday, after all. A car would pass by every now and then, and Lily would watch as it drove past, its headlights casting eerie shadows in the dusk. Lily listened to the sounds of the television in the living room below her where her older sister, Petunia, was enjoying her favorite show. The sound of her parents' voices in the kitchen reached Lily's ears, and she amused herself for awhile imagining their conversation. Soon, the streetlight outside Lily's window illuminated as the night steadily grew blacker. Lily stood and stretched, accidentally hitting a nearby birdcage. Its occupant, a tawny (and often irritable) owl named Madden, awoke with a screech. Lily fed him a treat and opened the cage door, allowing him to hop out and onto her hand. Patting him absent-mindedly, Lily imagined how strange she must look petting an owl. Of course, Lily's choice of pets was not the strangest thing about her.

Six years before, Lily had received a letter in the mail telling her she had been accepted into Hogwarts' School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. At first, Lily had scoffed at this letter. Witchcraft and wizardry? They only existed in fairytales! One of her friends (or more likely her sister) was playing some joke on her. Ha, ha. Very funny.

Gradually, however, Lily had come to believe what the letter said (helped along by the fact that a wizard—a real, live wizard—visited the house shortly after the arrival of the letter). The letter ad opened a whole new world for her—a world of magic spells and freshly brewed potions. A world of ghosts and goblins. A world of moving staircases and enormous castles. Hogwarts brought Lily her two best friends—Tina Craimer and Julie Graham. Unfortunately, it also brought her enemies—a group of four fellow seventh-year Gryffindors who called themselves the Marauders. The group, headed by James Potter and Sirius Black who were easily the mot popular boys in school, spent their time planning new ways to torture people. And to top it off, James had continuously asked Lily out despite her adamant refusals.

'_But this year will be the last year I have to put up with them,' _she reminded herself. Instead of cheering her up, this thought saddened her. Hogwarts had been her home for six years. She fit in there better than she had anywhere else. She felt safe and comfortable within the castle's massive stone walls. She had never though much about life after Hogwarts. At one point, she had entertained the notion of becoming a Healer after she graduated. Although this occupation still appealed to her, she was not certain that she wanted to spend the rest of her life healing people. In fact, she was not sure of anything anymore. When did life get so damn confusing?

A hundred miles away, James Potter was having the same thought. He lay awake, staring at the ceiling of his room and listening to the snores of his bet friend, Sirius in the bed next to his. As he had been doing frequently lately, James was thinking of Lily Evans. He had no idea why he was so attracted to her. Perhaps it was her beautiful green eyes and thick, sleek red hair. Perhaps it was her beautifully shaped lips which looked wonderful when they curved into the small, playful smile of which he was so fond. Perhaps it was her quick mind which was equal—if not greater—than his own (a quality most girls did not possess). Perhaps it was-

'_Stop,'_ he told himself. _'There's no point in thinking of her in that way. We've been sworn enemies since we first met. Nothing is going to change that.'_

'_Perhaps that is why I like her so much,' _another part o him mused. _'Maybe I like her because she is different than all the other girls. She doesn't like me just because I'm good-looking or popular or athletic.' _James ran a hand through his brown hair, which was perpetually messy, in irritation. Relationships were frustrating.

When Lily awoke the following morning, she threw on some clothes and ran a hairbrush through her hair before trudging down the steps into the kitchen. She reached it to find her parents sitting at the table. A thick envelope lay in the middle of the table, and Lily immediately recognized it as her Hogwarts letter. "It's about time!" she exclaimed, hastily grabbing it and ripping it open. She pulled out of the familiar thick parchment and let out a shout of surprise as something else came with it.

"What is it?" her mother asked in concern.

"I'm Head Girl," Lily shouted excitedly, showing her parents the badge which had fallen out of the envelope. It had the Hogwarts crest engraved on it—a lion, badger, eagle, and snake surrounding an ornate letter H. This H was followed by a G, clearly indicating the prestigious rank of the wearer.

"That's great, honey," her mother enthused. "We'll have to celebrate!"

Jams and Sirius were also opening their Hogwarts letters. Sirius immediately pulled out his supply list and began to read over it. James, however, was staring at the shiny badge which had fallen out of his envelope. Noting the silence in the room, Sirius looked up at his best friend. "Whatcha got there, mate?" he questioned. Wordlessly, James showed him the badge. "Whoa, where'd you get that from? Don't tell me you nicked it from someone already."

James shook his head. "It was in my letter," he explained, still not believing what had happened himself.

"Oh, come off it. Dumbledore would never make you Head Boy." James merely shrugged. "Maybe he meant to send it to Moody. He probably put it in the wrong envelope."

"Dumbledore wouldn't make a mistake like that," James pointed out.

"Then he must be crazier than I thought. You as Head Boy? Ha!" Sirius burst out laughing, a rather dog-like sound which echoed around the room.

"Thanks for your support, Padfoot."

"Any time, mate." Sirius checked out between laughs. Suddenly, he sobered up and stared straight at James. "You know who's probably going to be Head Girl, right?"

"Yeah." James turned to stare at the shiny badge which he still clutched tightly in his hand.

Lily stared at the cement barrier which separated Platforms 9 and 10. She always thought this was the hardest part of the journey. Although she knew that the barrier would indubitably allow her passage despite its solid appearance, as it had the previous six years, she did not fancy running head on into a cement wall. It was just not natural.

After a tearful (on her mother's part) goodbye to her parents who were unable to pass through the barrier because they were Muggles, Lily began to wheel her trunk slowly toward the barrier. As she neared the barrier, nerves took over, and Lily began to roll the trunk faster. By the time she hit the barrier, Lily took it at a full-out run. Of course, Lily never really _hit_ the barrier. She merely went straight through it and found herself facing a large, scarlet engine with the words "Hogwarts Express" engraved at the top. Steam billowed from the engine, curling slightly in the wind before drifting away. A sign hung over the engine, rocking back and forth in the gentle wind. It read "Platform 9 ¾." Lily was finally at home.

Unfortunately, running through the barrier at full speed meant that Lily emerged on the other side at full speed. Lily would have had time to stop if a boy around her own age had not chosen that exact moment to walk in front of the entrance. Lily's trunk collided with the boy first, knocking him to his knees. This abrupt halt caused Lily to trip, stumbling over the suitcase and landing directly on top of the boy. "I would greatly appreciate it if you would cease smothering me," an irritable voice said. Lily recognized that cocky lilt. That and the untidy brown hair which she could observe very well from her vantage point. Lily had crashed into James Potter.

Lily quickly sprang to her feet and rushed after Madden's cage which was slowly rolling toward the train. Its tenant had gone hunting the night before and had not yet returned. Luckily, Madden's sense of direction was extremely acute—she could find her master virtually anywhere.

"So, I guess we'll be seeing a lot of each other this year," James commented as she returned with the cage.

"What makes you say that?" Lily questioned. James nodded toward the badge which she had pinned in a prominent position on her robe. She glanced down at it before looking back up at him to see that he had a similar badge which he had bewitched to float slightly above his head, revolving slowly. "You couldn't just pin it to your robe like a normal person?" Lily inquired irritably.

"Nah, too cliché." James smiled that cocky smile that made Lily wish to punch him. "I was thinking of enlarging it, but Padfoot thought that might be overdoing it a bit."

"So, who'd you nick it from?"

"So cynical, Evans."

"I'm just being realistic. Dumbledore would have to be crazy to appoint you Head Boy."

"That seems to be the common consensus lately."

"I'm not going to sit here and listen to this! I'm going to put my stuff away!"

"I'll see you in a bit, Evans. We have to lead the prefect's meeting."

Lily let out a groan as she stormed off to the first two carriages which were reserved for prefects. She could not believe her horrid luck. Ever since her first year at Hogwarts, she had hoped to become Head Girl. She would be allowed out in the corridors at all hours of the night. She would have the respect of all the other students (or most of them—the Slytherins being the obvious exception). She had authority, and others looked to her for guidance. Best of all, she received her own dormitory and a common room she only had to share with the Head Boy. _'A Head Boy who just happens to be Potter,' _a nasty voice in the back of her head reminded her.

James tossed his luggage into a compartment and headed out the door, his mind still on Lily. Her feelings toward him certainly did not seem to have changed over the summer. If anything, she seemed even more cold and spiteful than before. Although he had been tempted to ask her out after they ran into each other, he had held his tongue because he did not know if his heart—or his ego—could take another rejection. _'Maybe I should just give up,' _he thought to himself. _'I don't seem to be getting anywhere.'_ However, another voice in the back of his head immediately responded. _'Never. Not if it takes a hundred years.' _

With his mind completely engaged with these thoughts, James was not paying attention to where he was going. For the second time that day, he collided with someone and fell to the ground. Hard. "This is beginning to become a bit old," he muttered, pushing himself to his feet. He reached down to help the girl he had knocked over to her feet. As he pulled her up, his eyes scanned her figure briefly. She had long, curly brown hair and large, brown eyes. Her features were delicate and beautiful, almost like those of a doll. _'But she's not as beautiful as Lily,' _the unbidden voice whispered to him. He ignored it and apologized to the girl who was none other than Tina Craimer.

"Were you paying any attention to where you were going, Potter?" she asked.

"James will do just fine."

"You're avoiding the question."

"I've gotten awfully good at that lately. But no, I wasn't."

"Thinking about Lily again, Pot-James?"

"That's a bit a bit uncanny."

"No, it's not. You have that same look in your eye that you always have when you're thinking about her. Did you ask her out again?"

"No, I'm sick of being rejected. I just wish I knew why she hates me."

Tina snorted. "Oh, come on. It's rather obvious."

"I would appreciate it if you would enlighten me."

"You have a big head. Lily hates that. You torture people and spend all your time thinking up practical jokes, neither of which Lily condones. You're and show-off and stuck up."

"Wow. I didn't realize I had that many problems. I guess my chances with Lily are pretty much zero."

"They are unless you make some significant changes."

"Such as?"

"First of all, deflate your head. Quit showing off in front of everybody and doing stupid stuff because it's funny. Secondly, give Lily some space for awhile. Let her see that you're changing. Maybe pursue a friendship with her but not a romantic relationship. Thirdly, stop hexing people for the fun of it."

"Even Snape?"

"Even Snape."

"What if he deserves it?"

"No. Not even then."

"This is going to be difficult."

Lily glanced at her watch. It was almost time to start the meeting. If James did not show up soon, she was going to start without him. Gritting her teeth, Lily thought that she would kill him things continued in this manner for the rest of the year. Just then, the door swung open and James himself walked in. "I'm not late, am I?" he asked, surveying the expectant faces which looked up at him.

"Not yet," Lily conceded. "But we have to get this meeting started. Just take a seat."

"Ooh, do I get to sit next to you? I feel so important." A few people (all of them girls) giggled at this comment. Continuing his performance, James walked up in front of Lily and bowed before taking his seat. Lily wanted to reprimand him, but she found herself instead trying to repress a smile. He did have his funny moments.

Forcing herself to remain stern, Lily steered the conversation back to the topic they had come to discuss. "Okay, I know most of you already know this, but I am going to discuss it anyway for the benefit of those who have never been prefects before. One of the duties of a prefect is patrolling the halls at night. You will typically do this in pairs. . ."

When the meeting came to a close, James found himself surrounded by nearly all the girls in the room who were clambering to congratulate him on his Head Boy badge. Lily, of course, did not join in the flirting; she quickly made her way to the exit. Extracting himself from his fan club, James followed her out. "I must say, I admire your leadership ability," he called after her. "You really can be quite commanding when you decide to be."

"What do you want, Potter?" Lily inquired, spinning around.

"I just want to say that I think I'm going to enjoy working with you this year. I think you'll do very well as Head Girl." James held out his hand, and Lily took it, still staring at him with her mouth agape. James Potter had complimented her without asking her out on a date. _James Potter._ It just seemed so unnatural.

Lily sat at the Gryffindor table later that night sandwiched between Tina and Julie. The first years were being sorted into their houses; Lily wished the sorting Hat would hurry up because she was ravenous. She had missed the lady who brought the food cart on the train because she was meeting with the prefects. Thinking of the prefects caused her mind to turn to James. Involuntarily, her eyes sought him out amidst the sea of black robes. He was, as usual, surrounded by the other Marauders and laughing heartily. Lily had to admit, he had a nice smile. It showed all of his gleaming white teeth. His hazel eyes sparkled with laughter, and the two dimples that formed at the corners of his mouth added to his boyish, mischievous look. "Lily!" Tina called sharply, breaking her from her reverie. "What are you staring at?"

"N-nothing," Lily stammered. To her relief, the plates had filled with food. She shoved some in her mouth, giving herself an excuse not to talk. There was no way she could start liking James Potter just because he had a nice smile. Countless guys had nice smiles. And James's smile did not stop him from being the most arrogant boy Lily knew. _'Ah, but he did compliment you on the train today,' _a voice in the back of her head reminded her. _'And he did not seem to be the least bit arrogant.'_


	2. Chapter 2

Lily awoke the next morning to hear Tina stumble over her suitcase and swear. "Nice wake up call," Lily muttered, rolling onto her side and slowly lowering herself to the floor.

"Sorry. I wanted to wake you up so you would have time to eat before our first class."

"Thanks. I'll just a couple minutes." Lily rolled onto her side and slowly lowered herself to the floor. She stumbled around for a minute before locating her robes and shoes putting them on. After running a brush through her hair a couple times, she followed Tinadown the steps toward the Great Hall. When she reached the entrance, she realized it was louder than usual and quickly entered to discover the source of the commotion. It was not difficult to find. Seeing that everyone seemed to have their eyes trained on the ceiling, Lily glanced upward to find that it no longer reflected the slightly overcast day that existed outside the castle walls. Instead, it was a bright, lime green color with a large purple face staring down at the students below.

Surveying the Great Hall, Lily saw a group of four boys standing in the corner talking in urgent whispers. The tallest, who was none other than Sirius Black, continued to point at the newly-bewitched ceiling. "I still think we should have written something instead," Sirius was saying as Lily approached.

"Do you still stand by your previous suggestion of 'Damn you'?" James questioned.

"I told you that 'Hell Yeah' would also be good."

"I believe you added that a hand flicking the Great Hall off would be amusing," Remus offered.

"That's right, I did," Sirius recalled.

"And I told you that the point of this prank was to give everybody something to laugh at. We don't want to give any of the teachers a reason to be mad at us. Yet," James argued.

'_Of course,' _Lily thought. _'The traditional first of the year prank. I wonder who will continue it once the Marauders are gone.' _Lily had to admit, the Marauders (or likely Sirius and James since they were the masterminds of the group) had accomplished an impressive bit of magic. The charm which caused the ceiling to portray the weather was old and hard to break. It must have taken some time to bewitch the ceiling with a new spell. And the prank was harmless, much more so than many of the other Marauder pranks. Lily decided it would be foolish to chastise them. Besides, the face was amusing. It reminded her of Professor Briggs, the astronomy teacher. It had his vacant look and everything.

As Lily was staring at the face, it suddenly changed. She found herself staring directly at a hand making a rude gesture. Raucous laughter broke out all around the Great Hall. Lily turned to see a black robe whipping out of sight. She jogged to the door and glanced down the corridor in both directions. She saw no sign of Sirius, however; he and the other Marauders often seemed to disappear into thin air. They knew more secret passages than anyone and used this knowledge to their advantage. Sighing, Lily stumped into a seat next to Tina.

When Lily received her schedule, she glanced over it briefly. She began the day with Transfiguration followed by double Defense Against the Dark Arts with the Ravenclaws. James was easily the best in the class at these two subjects, and Lily knew he would spend the entire class pointing out this fact. Luckily, they had double Charms—a subject in which Lily led the class—after lunch.

Lily spent all of Transfiguration taking notes on how to transform furniture into mammals—the most complicated transfiguration that a wizard could do (except for transfiguring himself into an animal—an Animagi—which had to be registered by the Ministry of Magic and would not come up on the N.E.W.T. exam). Defense against the Dark Arts was no more enjoyable—the teacher decided it was time for the students to see the three Unforgivable Curses performed on living creatures (he chose mice). Lily had nearly thrown up as she watched what Professor Bootman put the mice through.

At long last, Lily entered the Charms classroom. Sighing in relief, she set her desk next to Julie's, and the two began to talk animatedly. She heard a hiss in her ear and turned around to see that a group of Slytherins had entered the room. The leader of this group, Jacob Zander, wore a smirk as he glared at Lily. His arm was around his girlfriend, Grace Tilkin, who had hissed in Lily's ear. "What's going on, Mu-"

"I wouldn't finish that sentence if I were you." James had walked into the room and stood in the doorway twirling his wand around his fingers, seemingly calm. His hazel eyes blazed, however, as he glared at Jacob.

As much as Lily hated it when people referred to her using that disgusting word, she would never condone violence. "Potter, let it go. It's not worth fighting over," she told him.

"Yeah, Potter, listen to your girlfriend," Jacob mocked.

"I'm not his girlfriend," Lily hissed through clenched teeth.

"Right." Jacob began to make kissing noises which greatly amused his friends. However, the laughter quickly subsided when the Charms teacher, Professor Flitwick, walked into the classroom. At around three and a half feet tall, Professor Flitwick did not have a very imposing appearance. Yet anybody who had seen him perform magic realized that he was not the guy to cross.

Unfortunately, James decided to follow Lily as she walked to the back of the classroom. "I half expected him to start singing 'James and Lily sittin' in a tree'," James whispered. Lily smiled slightly, unable to control the impulse. "Am I seeing things? Did Lily Evans just smile at something I, James Potter, said? It must be the beginning of the apocalypse."

"Don't read too much into it," Lily warned, cursing her momentary relaxation of control.

"How can I not? I mean, this is a miracle. To think that one day-"

"Just SHUT UP!" Lily yelled. The entire class turned to discover the source of the disturbance.

"Jesus, Evans, you don't have to be so dramatic. I'll stop talking."

"Good."

After dinner that night, Lily sat in the common room she shared with James, completing her homework. James had left earlier to meet his friends. Lily had questioned him about his homework, and he had told her that he had most of it done and could finish the rest later, adding that his homework was none of her business. Lily did not even know why she asked—James had always made top marks and would likely continue to do so. Besides, he was right—she really should not care about his school work. She should be more concerned with whatever he and the other Marauders were planning.

Lily stood up and stretched, looking out the window into the pitch black sky. The moon was full that night, and it she sufficient light on the ground for her to see the gamekeeper, Hagrid, sitting on the porch of his cabin. Behind the cabin, the trees of the Forbidden Forest swayed gently in the calm breeze. The shadows they cast over the ground moved eerily, sending a shiver up Lily's spine. She had only been in the Forbidden Forest twice during her six years at Hogwarts and had no desire to return. No one truly knew what lurked in the shadowy depths of that forest.

On the grounds below, James and Sirius were carefully treading over the damp ground, attempting to make no sound. They were both bent low to better cover themselves with James' invisibility cloak. "You know, this was a lot easier when we were eleven," Sirius groaned, rubbing his back which had grown stiff from the awkward position he was walking in.

"You're just going to have to deal with it," James told him. "You doing okay in there, Wormtail?" James glanced into his pocket where a rat huddled in fear. It squeaked which James took to be an affirmative answer.

"Finally. We're here. You're up, Wormtail," Sirius said. The rat scurried out of James' pocket toward the gigantic tree which was aptly named the Whomping Willow. The tree bent its branches almost to their breaking point in attempt to pound the tiny creature. Fortunately (for Peter—a.k.a. Wormtail), the tree could not reach the small, quick rat. Soon, he reached a knot in the trunk of the tree and touched it with his front paws. Immediately, the tree ceased its attempts to whallop Peter. James and Sirius quickly walked to the concealed entrance in the tree's trunk, following the naked tail of their friend as it whipped out of sight.

Once inside the cavernous tunnel, James and Sirius tossed the Invisibility Cloak to the side. They placed their wands in the back pocket of their robes; they would not need them for awhile. Without another word, both teenagers transformed—Sirius into a large, black dog and James into a beautiful, silver stag. Unbeknownst to anyone, the three friends had managed to become Animagi—unregistered Animagi, to be precise—early in their fifth year at Hogwarts, a task which required a great deal of work. However, this ability had come in handy numerous times.

Following the tunnel, the three silently made their way to an old wooden trap door. James pushed it open slowly, revealing an old, dusty room riddled with broken furniture. A chair is the corner balanced precariously on three legs. Large claw marks on the seat clearly indicated the inhabitant's discontent. A table was flipped onto its back, broken in half. An old sofa had large tears in its fabric which revealed the yellowing stuffing. They had entered the Shrieking Shack which many considered the most haunted place in Britain.

A large creature suddenly leapt out of a corner, snarling at the intruders. James knocked it to the floor and moved out of the doorway to allow Sirius passage into the room. Wormtail, of course, huddled in a dark corner of the tunnel, afraid to enter the room. The creature (which was a werewolf—Lupin, to be precise) shook himself in a dog-like manner and began to rise to renew the attack. Sirius growled warningly, and the creature hesitated, unsure of the strength of his opponents. Still growling, Sirius cautiously approached Remus, keeping his teeth and claws in sight. When Sirius reached Remus's side, he cocked his head in a questioning manner; Remus, as if he understood, calmed down and quit snarling. Satisfied with this reaction, Sirius turned and led the odd trio out of the dusty room. James fell in behind Remus, watching him to ensure that he did not make a renewed attempt to attack.

When the four friends (for Wormtail finally deemed it safe enough to come out of hiding) reached the end of the tunnel, Sirius bounded away happily with Lupin on his heels. James watched their crazy antics for awhile before rushing to join them. He and Sirius tussled playfully, always careful to keep an eye on Remus to ensure that he remained calm. Remus, however, seemed perfectly at peace; he sniffed around at the edge of the forest (the four always remained close to the Forbidden Forest during their late night strolls to prevent being seen), pausing every now and then when he found an intriguing scent.

Eventually, the four turned back to the Whomping Willow. Remus contentedly followed Sirius, seeming much more human and less wolf-like. A sound in the bushes about a hundred feet to their right caused all four to stop in their tracks. Remus's ears perked up, and he sat back on his haunches and gave a long, loud howl. As he started to run off in the direction of the sound, James once more knocked him to the ground. The two wrestled for a minute, James desperately avoiding the snapping jaws. Sirius soon came to the rescue, sinking his teeth into Remus's leg and dragging him off James. Defeated, Remus allowed himself to be half-drug back to the Shrieking Shack. When James and Sirius settled him down somewhat and exited the rambshackle house, they changed back into human form and covered themselves once more with James's Invisibility Cloak. "Thanks for saving my neck back there, mate," James told his friend as they slowly ambled toward the castle, hampered by their height.

"Any time. I'm sorry I had to resort to that, though. That bite's going to hurt like hell in the morning."

"I feel bad for Moony. One of these days, we are going to catch the bastard who did this to him."

Lily awoke the next morning to hear a voice asking. "Plan on making your first class, Evans?" She blinked in the bright sunlight of the room and stared at the blurred figure which stood in front of her. Slowly, the room came into focus, and Lily saw a boy with messy brown hair and glasses.

"Potter, what are you doing in my room?" she yelped, sitting up and rubbing her eyes.

"I'm not in your room, Evans. You fell asleep in the common room last night. Probably from sheer boredom." He eyed the parchment and books which were spread across the table.

"Well, at least I have my homework finished now. I don't have to worry about it anymore." With that, Lily stormed off to the bathroom.

Lily walked into Potions and sat down next to Tina and Julie as always. The Marauders were whispering something in the corner which immediately made Lily apprehensive. Anytime the Marauders planned something, it always ended badly.

Professor Slughorn entered the room with his gigantic stomach seeming to almost drag on the floor as usual. His black robes swirled behind him, nearly tripping him as he walked by the Marauders' table. Lily could see the four of them snickering. "I'm going to be pairing you up today," Slughorn announced. "This person will be your partner for the rest of the term, so I would not risk blowing them up. We'll start off today with an easy, O.W.L. level potion, but it will get harder quickly, believe me. Now, for partners. Black, you're with Flinten." Slughorn pointed to a curly-haired Hufflepuff boy; the Maruaders had often wondered how he had managed to make it into N.E.W.T. level Potions.

"Tough luck, mate," James whispered as Sirius grimaced.

Slughorn called out a few more names before saying. "Evans, you'll be paired with Potter." Potter? Lily could not believe her ears. First, she was forced to cooperate with him for all Head duties—including patrolling the corridors and planning all school events. On top of that, she had to share a common room with him. Now, Slughorn was forcing them to work together in Potions _all term? _It was unbelievable!

"So, I hear we're working together," James commented, wearing his familiar cocky smile.

"Don't think anything's going to come of it," Lily snapped. "I'm definitely not going to let you bring my Potions' grade down."

"I'll have you know, I got an 'O' on my Potions O.W.L."

"And I expect you to live up to it."

'_Why is this so hard?' _James asked himself. _'I've tried to take Tina's advice. I've stopped hexing people. I'm trying not to brag. Why does she still hate me?' _Sighing, James realized the road ahead would be long and bumpy.

Lily walked out of the Potions class with a sigh of relief. James had not made one rude or overly arrogant comment for the entire class. In fact, he had actually been nice to her. And he knew what he was talking about when it came to Potions; she did not have to worry at all about him ruining her grade. Rounding the corner, Lily saw one of her other least favorite people at the school—Severus Snape. He was slinking along the wall, his head, down, staring at his feet. His greasy hair stuck to his head in an unnatural way, and his long-fingered hands clutched his book possessively.

"Hey, look, it's Snivellus," Sirius called. All four Marauders stopped, facing Snape who leered at them menacingly. Lily sighed. She would have to break up _another _fight between Snape and the Marauders. It really did get old.

James was having conflicting feelings. He saw Lily just around the corner. Now would be the perfect time to impress her. He could just walk away without a fight. Yet he was itching to try out a few new hexes he learned over the summer. But that would be immature. . . "Come on, guys, let's just go," James finally declared.

"Go? Are you serious?" Sirius questioned.

"No, you are," James quipped, eliciting smiles from a couple people in the crowd who had stopped to watch.

"So not funny anymore," Sirius told him.

"And torturing Snivellus here isn't either. Now, come on. We have to get to class."

"And waste a perfect opportunity?"

"Yes! Let's go!" James turned and began to walk away. His friends stared at his retreating back in bewilderment for a couple seconds before running to join him. Taking advantage of the situation, Snape extracted his wand from his robe and whispered a curse. At the same time, James shouted, "Protego." The curse deflected off the shield without harming James. "Didn't you ever learn that it's rude to hex someone when their back is turned?" James inquired, spinning around to face him with his wand drawn. Again, however, he amazed Lily by putting his wand down and simply walking away. Snape hesitated, obviously wondering if he should risk hexing James again. Deciding it was time to take some action, Lily warned Snape to not even consider what he was about to do and took ten points from Slytherin. Fuming, Snape turned and left.

Lily was still in shock as she walked to Herbology because of what happened. James Potter had never before willingly walked away from an opportunity to fight—especially with Snape. _'Maybe he's changing,' _the voice in the back of her head speculated. _'Maybe he's finally growing up.' 'That's great,' _another voice added. _'Now you can finally go out with him.' _Lily stopped suddenly, causing the three first years behind her to run into her back. Did she honestly just think about going out with James Potter? That was impossible; he could never change enough for her to want to go out with him. She must have been momentarily crazy.

Over the next week, Lily could not help but notice that James seemed to have actually changed. He no longer hexed people just for laughs; in fact, he had only retaliated once when somebody hexed him. The Marauders had only pulled one prank since the one the first day, and it was harmless. Lily could not conceal a smile when she walked into the Great Hall and saw that all the Slytherins had green skin. Even more surprisingly, James had only mentioned the fact that he had been made Gryffindor Quidditch Captain twice. He actually helped with the Head duties, and Lily had seen him helping the younger students with their homework more than once. Lily found herself unwillingly attracted to him.

As Lily was entering the Great Hall the following Tuesday, she heard a voice ask, "Can I talk to you for a minute?" Lily turned to see a seventh year Ravenclaw standing behind her. He had blond hair which curled up slightly at the ends. His face was handsome; he had deep brown eyes which seemed to pierce Lily's soul. He was slightly taller than Lily with a muscular build. Searching her mind for a name, Lily finally found it: Roger Janson.

"Sure." Lily stepped out of the doorway to avoid the crowd.

Roger followed her to a dark recess and faced her, shifting nervously from one foot to the other. "You see, I was wondering if. . . maybe. . . you'd want. . . if you can't, it's okay. . ."

"What is it, Roger?" Lily asked.

"Want to go out with me sometime?"

"Okay."

"Really?" Roger's face lit up.

"Really."

"Great. Does Friday sound okay?"

"It's fine with me."

"Okay. I'll meet you outside the Gryffindor Common Room after dinner on Friday."

"Sounds good." Lily watched as he gleefully walked away. He seemed like a perfect boyfriend—smart, down-to-earth, humble, always obeyed the rules; she could find no fault in him. _'Now maybe I'll stop thinking about James Potter,' _she thought to herself.


	3. Chapter 3

That night, Lily sat in the common room with three different homework assignments spread out before her. It was only the second week of school, and she was already behind in her homework. On top of that, she still had Head duties to attend to; she and James had to patrol the corridors that night. She certainly would not give James the satisfaction of knowing that she was behind, especially when he seemed to keep up with the workload effortlessly. And he had Quidditch practice to boot.

At that very minute, James himself walked in. He took one look at Lily and jogged up to his dormitory, returning a couple minutes later with an old piece of parchment in his hand. "I see you're behind on your work," he observed.

"What's it to you?" Lily questioned.

"Don't worry. I'm behind myself. I still have to finish that stupid Transfiguration essay. And Slughorn's four feet on Polyjuice is going to take awhile. I certainly don't want to patrol the corridors tonight, and I doubt you do. So I've brought some help."

"A piece of parchment?" Lily glanced skeptically at the tattered piece he held in his hand.

"It's not just any parchment. Watch." James pulled out his wand and tapped the parchment. "I solemnly swear that I am up to no good." Immediately, ink lines began to snake across the page, gradually coming together to form a complete image. Lily suddenly realized what it was.

"A map," she breathed. "Of Hogwarts. And it looks like it shows every secret passage in the castle. Is this how you and Sirius manage to pop up when I least expect it?"

"Basically. Look closer."

Lily did and saw dozens of small dots moving around the map. Each one had a miniscule label; Lily bent down closer to read the first one and saw "Horace Slughorn." "Does this map really show where everyone in the caste is?"

"Everybody."

"Where did you get it?"

"The Marauders and I made it in our third year."

"That's really advanced magic for third years."

"We were pretty advanced third years. Well, except for Wormtail. He's always been a bit slower than the rest of us."

"Why didn't you show me this before?"

"I always enjoyed our nighttime strolls around the castle. Besides, I was afraid you'd confiscate it or something." He glanced down at the map. "It seems we have only two rule breakers tonight." He pointed to the two dots on the corner of the page.

"That's good. They're not that far. This shouldn't take too long at all," Lily said.

"Are you sure you want to break the two lovebirds up?"

"They're breaking school rules."

"So?"

"So as Head Girl, it's my job to break them up. And it's _your_ job, too."

"All right. I'm coming. And when I get back, why don't I help you with that killer Transfiguration essay? That way, we can both get it done faster."

Lily could not speak for a minute. _James _was actually being nice to her? Without asking for anything in return? It did not seem right. _'Maybe he has changed,' _she thought. _'Or maybe he has some ulterior motive'. . . 'But I could really use help with Transfiguration homework.'_ There was no other option. "I'd love some help," she told him.

In what seemed like the blink of an eye, Friday had arrived. When Lily walked into the Great Hall, she saw that grey clouds covered the sky outside. These clouds loomed over her, increasing the trepidation she felt about her date that night. She was still unsure as to why she had agreed to go out with Roger. Although he was a nice guy, she would never have thought of him as her boyfriend. She just did not like him in that way.

After dinner, Lily walked toward the Gryffindor common room to meet him as she had promised. She found him anxiously pacing back and forth in front of the portrait of the Fat Lady who guarded the entrance to the common room. He smiled shyly when he saw her and asked, "Ready to go?"

"Sure. Where are we going?"

Roger looked down at his feet. "I thought I'd let you decide."

"What are my options?"

"Well, we can go for a walk down by the lake. Or go nick some food from the kitchens and have a romantic dinner."

"I'm not that hungry. Let's go for a walk."

"Okay." He slowly inched his hand toward hers, finally touching it and closing his fingers over hers. His hand was warm but not comforting. The two walked out onto the grounds hand-in-hand. After a few feeble attempts to start a conversation, he finally began to rant about Quidditch. Lily, who was not nearly as fond of Quidditch, felt her mind begin to wander. She thought of all the great times she had had next to the lake. Skating on it during the winter and skipping rocks across in the spring. Watching James coax the giant squid—

'_No!'_ she thought. _'I'm on a date. I'm not going to think of James. Besides, I hate him. I shouldn't be thinking of him anyway.'_ Lily forced herself to focus on what Roger was saying—something about Germany's chances at the Quidditch World Cup. She nodded in agreement, hoping he would not ask her any questions which she would, of course, be unable to answer.

When the two reached the Head dormitories, Lily told Roger goodnight and turned to leave. He held her back, however, pulling her close to him. She could feel his warm breath on her cheek as he leaned in and kissed her full on the lips. However, Lily did not have the "tingly" feeling described so often in movies and books; in fact, the kiss felt odd and unnatural. Yet Lily did not wish to hurt Roger's feelings, so she continued to kiss him for a few seconds before pulling away. "I'll see you tomorrow, then?" he asked.

"Yeah. See ya."

James hurried back from the library, clutching the precious book he had found. He could not wait to show Lily; the two had been scouring the library for three days, searching for a book which contained the instructions for a potion Slughorn had assigned. Maybe Lily would consider being his friend; after all, he had proved countless times that he had changed. All he wanted was for her to accept him as a friend. For now at least. The rest would come later.

As James rounded the corner, he stopped suddenly. Ahead of him was Likely kissing. . . was that the idiot Ravenclaw keeper who could not stop a ball if his life depended on it? James had scored more goals on him than any other Keeper. Although he was tempted to throw the book he was holding at the two of them, he controlled his rage (with difficulty) and quickly stormed around the corner, slamming into Tina. "Sorry," he apologized, helping her up.

"We have to stop meeting like this." Tina smiled broadly. James merely stood there, staring at her. Everything that had happened over the past few days suddenly rose to the surface. His suppressed rage at the gall of Roger to kiss Lily. His depression over the fact that Lily still seemed to hate him. His stress over the heavy workload of classes, Quidditch, and Head duties. Without a second thought, he pulled Tina to him and kissed her. However, the kiss was not one of passion. He felt nothing as he pressed his lips on hers. _'You bloody idiot,' _he thought. _'You love Lily. You have no feelings for Tina. You're just going to get both of you hurt.' _However, he disregarded this thought and continued to kiss her. Finally, she pulled away, breathing heavily. He stared down at her for a couple seconds, an odd expression on his face, before asking, "Wanna go out sometime?"

"Sure." As Tina said this, he turned and walked briskly away.

Tina joined Lily in the Head common room a couple minutes later. "What's up?" Lily asked, seeing the shock on Tina's face.

"James Potter just kissed me and asked me out," Tina explained, still not believing this statement herself.

"He what?" _'Careful, Lily, you sound jealous. . . But maybe I am. . . Yet that would mean I like James Potter which is impossible. . . Ah, not as impossible as you think.'_

"He. . . asked me out. I always thought he liked you."

"Maybe he's finally moved on. What'd you say?" The fierce battle still raged in Lily's head.

"Yes, of course." Tina turned to face her friend. "No one turns down James Potter. Except you, of course."

'_Yes, except me,' _Lily thought to herself. _'Obviously I don't like him or I wouldn't keep refusing him.'_

James entered the Gryffindor common room with a glazed expression on his face. Sirius and Remus, who were enjoying a game of Exploding Snap in the corner, immediately became concerned. "What's the matter, mate? You look like you just swallowed a bottle of Skele-Grow," Sirius commented.

"I kissed Tina," James told him.

"What about Lily?" Remus asked.

"I saw her kissing another guy. That idiot on the Ravenclaw team."

"Janson?" Sirius inquired.

"That's the one. Anyway, I saw him with her, and I just snapped. I ran into Tina, and I kissed her."

"That's great, man," Sirius congratulated. "I've always thought you've been stuck on Lily too long. You need to get around more. Take me, for example. I date a different girl every couple weeks, and I'm perfectly happy with that arrangement. It never gets boring."

"Yeah. I guess." James stared into the fire, images of the best way to torture Roger Janson running through his head.

Two days later, Tina, Julie, and Lily were all gathered to the Head common room talking. James was sitting on the windowsill, ostensibly doing homework (although he was actually eavesdropping on the girls' conversation). "You never told us about our date with Roger, Lily," Julie reminded her.

"It was. . . okay," Lily answered elusively.

"Okay? That's all we get?" Julie asked incredulously. "No details at all, like what you guys did? Did he kiss you? Is he a good kisser? Did you-"

"All right, okay. You win. I'll give you details. He made me choose what we were going to do."

"That was thoughtful," Tina commented.

"Except the only options he gave me were walking by the lake or nicking food from the kitchens."

"Not very creative," Julie agreed.

"But there's not much you can do here," Tina pointed out. "I mean, what would you have liked to do?"

"I know it's cliché, but I've always thought dinner and a movie is a great first date."

"A movie?" Julie asked.

"It's a Muggle thing," Lily explained. "A bunch of people called actors pretend to be someone else and act out of a scene that's been written for them. They record it on a thin sheet of plastic and you can play it back. It's very interesting. It's like a story with moving pictures."

"Wicked!" Julie exclaimed.

"Are there different kinds?" Tina asked.

"Sure, there are hundreds of different movies. I like a variety of movies—_Star Wars_ and _Titanic_ are two of my all-time favorites."

"You'll have to let us see one sometime," Tina said.

"I will," Lily promised. "Someday."

"Now, you've answered my first question. What about the second two?"

"I'm getting there. Yes, he kissed me. And it was. . . well, truthfully, a little weird. It just seemed awkward."

"But it's the first kiss. It'll get better," Tina assured her.

"I hope so. Now, what about you and James?" Tina turned bright red as Lily asked this. James slammed his book shut and stormed out of the common room.

After wandering the halls for a bit, James finally realized what he needed to do. Quickly, he turned and sprinted up to the Gryffindor common room. When he entered, his eyes quickly scanned the room before finding the three people he was searching for. The other Marauders sat hunched over in a corner discussing something. "Hullo, Prongs. 'Bout time you joined us. Have you been off snogging your girlfriend again?" Sirius questioned.

"Ha, ha. No, I was actually doing homework."

"Yeah right." Sirius looked at the blank parchment in front of him. "We've missed you lately, mate."

"I'm sorry. I've been really busy. It must have been hard to pull pranks with all the brains on your team missing." Sirius and Remus rolled their eyes, but James continued. "I've got an idea for our next prank."

"I though you'd sworn off pranking people for Lily," Remus commented, raising his eyebrows.

"I don't have to worry about Lily anymore. I have a girlfriend, remember?"

"One who doesn't care if you play pranks?"

"I don't give a damn what she thinks."

"She's your _girlfriend._"

"And I'm sure she'll be perfectly okay with a harmless prank. Now, are we going to do this or not?" Remus opened his mouth to protest once more, but closed it when he realized he had nothing more to object to.

"Okay, Prongs, let's hear this brilliant plan."

The four Marauders entered the Great Hall together the next day, attempting not to look too expectant and give themselves away. Catching Tina's eye, James walked over to the table where she was sitting. He slid in next to her and put his arm around her shoulders. Lily glanced over at the two of them and quickly looked away. Her eyes scanned the Great Hall for any sign of Roger; however, he had not yet come down to breakfast. Lily sighed and surveyed the odd group surrounding her. Two days before, she would never have imagined that she would be willingly sitting next to the Marauders. She listened to Sirius and James argue about dragons (with occasional comments by Remus). Peter stared morosely at his food, pushing it around the plate with a fork. Tina tried (unsuccessfully) to enter into the dragon conversation, eventually resorting to brooding silently. Julie continued to pester Lily with questions, growing steadily more annoyed at her obvious lack of attention.

Finally, Lily saw Roger enter the Great Hall. Spotting her and the others, he made his way to their table. When he saw the Marauders sitting with Lily, he hesitated. However, she waved him on, so he approached and kissed her on the cheek. A loud croak suddenly came from his mouth. He attempted to apologize in vain; the croaks simply grew louder and more insistent. James bit his tongue to prevent himself from laughing. Sirius had turned his head to hide the huge grin he wore, and Peter smiled at his food. Even Remus could not suppress a smile as Roger continued croaking loudly. Nearby students were cracking up, watching the strange scene unfold. Lily attempted to cure the croaking with disastrous results; Roger moved from croaking to quacking to barking. After Lily had run out of charms to try and Roger had gone through an entire farmyard of sounds, a fuming Roger left for the nurse's office, clucking like a chicken. The entire Great Hall had found the whole fiasco uproariously funny, and Roger received a standing ovation as he left.

"I'm going to kill you for this," Lily hissed through clenched teeth.

"For what?" James asked innocently, fooloing no one.

"Potter, you are the most incorrigible little. . ." Lily's stream of insults continued until James said loudly.

"The charm will wear off tonight. He'll talk regularly tomorrow. Though I must say, he's much easier to talk to."

"Yeah, I think he sounds more intelligent, Evans," Sirius added, still trying to stifle his laughter.

"I would certainly agree, Padfoot."

"You guys are horrible!" Lily stood up and walked briskly away.

"I'm hurt, Evans! Deeply hurt!" Sirius called after her sarcastically. James, however, remained silent.

'_She hates you again,' _the little voice in his head told him. _'You've accomplished absolutely nothing. Besides, you've both moved on. She's with Janson and you're with Tina. It's time to move on and forget about Lily.'_

But could he?


	4. Chapter 4

Before James knew it, October had come, bringing biting wind which chilled him to the bone. Herbology soon became his least favorite class; he and the other Marauders typically spent that period huddled around a magical fire he or Sirius conjured. Tina and James had yet to go on a first date; in fact, they had not even kissed since that first time.

However, the first Hogsmeade trip of the year was scheduled for the second weekend of October, and James planned to make their first date then. When Saturday finally came, he met Tina in the Gryffindor common room. "Ready to go?" he questioned.

"Yeah."

'_What are you doing?' _James asked himself. _'You're on a date with some other girl, but you're still in love with Lily. . . But I've been on dates with other girls before. . . Not with one of Lily's best friends.'_

The confusion obviously showed on James's face, for Tina asked, "Are you okay?"

"I'm fine," James lied, forcing a smile. This seemed to satisfy Tina. As they walked out of the common room, James grabbed Tina's hand and led the way to Hogsmeade. Filch glared at the two suspiciously when they passed the spot where he was checking if people had persmission to go to Hogsmeade, yet he was forced to let them pass. Slowly, they ambled down the main street, pulling their coats tighter around their bodies to keep themselves warm. "Let's go in here," James suggested, pointing to Honeydukes, the candy store. Tina readily agreed, thankful for an excuse to get out of the cold. When they entered the store, James immediately dropped Tina's hand and began to eagerly explore the shelves as if her were two years old. Tina gave the store a cursory examination before walking over to the section with chocolate.

When the two emerged from the store thirty minutes later, James had enough candy to last him for the rest of the year. Tina had bought a couple boxes of Chocolate Frogs and was delighted to find a card in one that she did not have (she was an avid collector of Chocolate Frog cards which showed famous witches and wizards). Next, they went to Zonko's Joke Shop whre James bought almost twenty galleons worth of stuff. "How did you get so much money?" Tina asked.

"Oh, I save up all year for the first Hogsmeade trip," James explained. "This stuff should last me until the end of the school year. Unless, of course, Sirius gets into it again.:

"So, where to next?"

"I thought we could grab a butterbeer at the Three Broomsticks and maybe warm up a bit. Sound good?"

"That sounds good to me."

Lily and Roger were also walking around Hogsmeade that day. However, the first thing they did was visit the Shrieking Shack (Roger's idea—Lily had no desire to stare at a haunted building). "It's supposed to be the most haunted place in Britain," Roger informed her eagerly. "They say it's over two hundred years old. And on nights with a full moon, you can hear groans and growls coming from the house. But it's impossible for anyone to enter because the doors and windows are boarded up, and the boards have not been touched in a hundred years. Wicked, huh?"

"Yeah, it's great," Lily said, feigning excitement. She regretted this, however, for Roger continued his enthusiastic description of the (in Lily's opinion, at least) rather boring house. Eventually, Lily pointed out, "Maybe we should go somewhere else. Somewhere inside where it's warmer."

"Oh, right! Sorry! How about the Three Broomsticks?"

"Sounds wonderful."

When Tina and James entered the Three Broomsticks, they found it already packed with Hogwarts students enjoying their first week-end off school grounds. Squeezing between the hordes of laughing students, James and Tina managed to locate a table near the back of the restaurant. "I'll go get drinks. What do you want?" James questioned.

"I'll have a butterbeer."

"Okay. I'll be back in a bit."

Lily entered the Three Broomsticks a couple minutes later and pushed her way to the back. Tina saw her and Roger and waved, indicating the seats beside her. Lily thought quickly. If Tina was here, James was likely lurking somewhere, and she had no desire to see him or talk to him. But Tina would be disappointed if Lily did not join her. And there was no other table available. Sighing, Lily sat down next to her friend, trailed by Roger. Immediately, Roger offered to bring the girls drinks. Tina explained that hers was taken care of, and Lily asked for a butterbeer, so he loped off to purchase the beverages, leaving the girls alone to talk. "I'm guessing you're here with James," Lily said.

"Of course. He _is _my boyfriend."

"So you two haven't broken up?"

"Of course not! Why would we do that? James is great. He's nice, funny, smart, great to talk to, hot, athletic. . . and a lot of other good things I can't think of right now. He's the perfect boyfriend."

"I can't believe it! You're actually falling for James Potter!"

"So? There's nothing wrong with that."

"Yeah, aside from the fact that he's an arrogant prick who takes pleasure in other people's pain."

"He's not like that. He's changed a lot. Matured."

"What about the prank he pulled on Roger?"

"That was one time! Besides, it was harmless. The curse wore off before the next day, didn't it?"

"Yes, but-"

"Hey, Evans. Didn't see you come in. Do you want something?" James questioned, interrupting Lily. He placed two butterbeers on the table.

"No, I'm fine," Lily replied coldly.

"You sure?"

"Yes, I'm sure," she snapped.

"Suit yourself." James settled into the seat nest to Tina and put his arm around her shoulders, drawing her close to him. Lily looked determinedly away, hoping Roger would return soon. When he finally did come into sight carrying two butterbeers, James remarked, "I thought you'd be along shortly."

"What's that supposed to mean?" Roger inquired icily. He had recently realized who was behind the animal noises prank (James wondered what had taken him so long since the Marauders did very little to conceal their guilt) and harbored great resentment to all four Marauders, especially James. James, who found Roger's pathetic attempts to belittle him simply hilarious, thought of the whole thing as an elaborate joke.

"Just that you and Lily seem to be attached at the hip lately," James said, attempting to appear casual although his insides were on fire. _'That should be me,' _he kept thinking. _'I should be getting her a drink and taking her around Hogsmeade and following her every move. Not this idiot.'_

"Why is that any business of yours?"

"Well, having a third person being dragged along will make patrolling the corridors at night extremely difficult. Especially if that person is prone to talking at the most inopportune times."

"When have I ever done that?"

"I consider anytime I have to hear your screechy voice inopportune. But now that you mention it-"

"Enough!" Lily shouted. "I'm not going to sit here and listen to you two argue. Let's talk about something we all agree on."

"Or let's just not talk at all," James suggested. With that, he grabbed Tina and brought his lips down forcefully on hers. Out of the corner of his eye, he watched Lily's face undergo a series of contortions before she stood up and stormed out. _'Maybe she does like me after all,'_ James though. _'This date is not turning out as bad as I expected.'_

"How was your date, mate?" Sirius inquired when James returned to the common room later that afternoon.

"Not bad. Lily turned up halfway through."

"Was her Siamese twin with her?"

"Of course."

"Did you give him hell for me?"

"You know I did. He doesn't seem to like me much."

"I can't imagine why. They Gryffindor-Ravenclaw game is next Saturday. It's going to be an interesting match."

"That's the understatement of the year."

Saturday dawned bright and clear. Glancing out the window of his dormitory, James could immediately tell that the weather was perfect for that day's Quidditch match. Or nearly so at least; the wind was a little stronger than he would have liked. But he was an experienced Quidditch player; a little wind would not affect him at all. Besides, his team had trained in all weather, and adverse conditions would likely affect the Ravenclaws more than them.

As James walked into the Great Hall for breakfast, he met Sirius who was clutching his broomstick possessively. "Ready to win?" James questioned.

"With Janson the idiot playing Keeper? This game will be a piece of cake!" Sirius responded.

As James pulled on his Quidditch robes in the locker room, he listened to the cheers of the spectators. The cacophony of noise prevented him from distinguishing any of the words people shouted. A loud roar greeted the team, however, as they walked out onto the field. The Ravenclaws emerged from the locker room opposite the Gryffindors' and approached them slowly. James sought out Roger's eye, and the two glared at each other for a few seconds. A deep rage simmered inside James, and he longed to pull his wand out and hex that idiotic countenance. Automatically, James shook the Ravenclaw captain's hand when Madame Greenbottom ordered him to do so. As the fourteen players pushed off and soared into the air, James's eyes followed Roger to the Ravenclaw goalposts where he stopped and hovered in front of the middle hoop. James longed to grab the Quaffle and chuck it straight at his pretty face.

When Madame Greenbottom threw the Quaffle into the air, James sped forward and grabbed it before streaking toward the opposite end of the field. One of the Ravenclaw chasers flew in front of him, barring his path. Many people in the crowd gasped, anticipating a crash. Luckily, James was an experienced flyer, and he owned an excellent broom. James veered left sharply without dropping the Quaffle or losing much speed. The crowd cheered, impressed by this maneuver. Once more, James stared straight at the goalposts as he continued to rocket forward. He avoided a Bludger by flipping over and soon reached the goalposts. He saw the determination in Roger's eyes. Obviously, Roger was attempting to impress the crowd, especially Lily, as James had done. James saw Roger clench his teeth as he watched the Quaffle carefully. Yet there was a reason that many considered James the best Chaser Hogwarts had seen in awhile. Without a second thought, James pulled his arm back and released the ball with enough spin to make its course unpredictable (although James knew it would go through the goalpost). Roger dove and missed; the ball glided past his outstretched hands and sailed through the hoop. "GRYFFINDOR SCORES!" Remus announced. Typically, he was the announcer for Hogwarts' Quidditch matches since he knew more about Quidditch than most of the people who played, having learned this information from James and Sirius. James did a quick victory lap around the goal before returning to the middle of the pitch where one of the Ravenclaw chasers had caught the Quaffle. As he flew toward the Gryffindor goalposts, a well-aimed Bludger hit him in the stomach, causing him to drop the Quaffle. James's year as a Seeker suddenly seemed worthwhile; he dove for the ball, catching it in enough time to right himself and rocket off toward the goalpost. Blood pounded in his ears as he sped onwards. He vaguely heard cries from his teammates; they were likely telling him to pass them the Quaffle. _'Fat chance,' _James thought. _'This git's all mine. I'm going to make him regret the day he dared to touch Lily.'_ Once more, James shot the Quaffle right through Roger's fingers, scoring another ten points for Gryffindor. By this, time, Roger's entire face was red as he glared menacingly (a comic appearance, in James's opinion) at James. James was unsure whether his crimson color came from anger or embarrassment. He did not really care; both emotions were equally desirable. Likely, a mixture of both contributed to the color.

Tina had drug Lily out to the Quidditch pitch that morning. Although Lily was not a huge Quidditch fan, she found herself actually enjoying the match. However, after the first four goals James scored on Roger within five minutes of the game's initiation, Lily began to grow apprehensive. James was deliberately provoking Roger! _'No,' _Lily reminded herself. _'It's a Chaser's job to score on the opposing team's Keeper. James is just doing his job. . . Why are you so eager to defend him?. . . Maybe because I like him. . . Prepostorous!' _Or was it?

James was filled with euphoria as he snatched the Quaffle again. After a spectacular save by the Gryffindor Keeper and two more goals by James, the score sat at 40-0, Gryffindor. James's fellow Chasers obviously resented his excessive ball-hogging, yet they contented themselves to fly behind him and allow him to relish his performance. Unfortunately, he had grown too focused on his resentment for Roger and began to disregard the rest of the game. When a Ravenclaw Beater hit another Bludger his way, he was not prepared for its impact. In fact, he was unaware of its presence until it collided painfully with his elbow. Uttering a loud expletive, he released his hold on the Quaffle which fell into the waiting arms of one of the Ravenclaw chasers hovering beneath him. The Keeper missed the Quaffle, and the goal brought the score to 40-10.

"Time out!" the referee, Madame Greenbottom called, whistling loudly. "Gryffindor time out."

"I didn't call a time out!" James shouted angrily, landing on the ground beside her.

"I did." James turned to see Sirius standing behind him. "We need to talk, mate."

"Can't it wait? We're kind of in the middle of a game here."

"It's the game I need to talk about."

"What about it? It's going great, don't you think. We're up thirty points, and it's only been five minutes."

"Look, mate, the truth is I. . . well, all of us really, thin you're being slightly possessive of the ball. I understand you have a personal vendetta against Roger, but we need to focus on the game right now and on other issues later."

"What have I done wrong? I scored 40 points!"

"We could have made it fifty if you had passed the Quaffle to Tori or I before that Bludger hit you. We were wide open and yelling about the Bludger."

"I didn't hear that."

"I guess not." Sirius glanced at James's elbow where a steadily-purpling bruise was beginning to form.

"Okay, Padfoot, I'm sorry. I guess I've forgotten the fact that this is a Quidditch match and not a way to wipe the smile off that idiot. I'll try to pass the ball to you more."

"I hope so, mate. Let's go kick some Ravenclaw ass!"

For the remainder of the game, James _did_ try to pass the ball to his team members. Of course, he often forgot himself in his eagerness to make Roger feel like the idiot James believed he was. However, Sirius reminded him (rather forcefully) each time he began to hog the ball. After an hour-long game, the Gryffindor Seeker managed to catch the Snitch, making the final score 310-40. Gryffindor fans stormed the field, hoisting the team members onto their shoulders. From his perch, James watched the Ravenclaw team. None of them seemed too happy. Smiling, James saw the Ravenclaw captain chew Roger out for the number of times he let the Quaffle go by him. Revenge truly was sweet.

When Gryffindor caught the Snitch, Lily began to cheer herself hoarse with the rest of the Gryffindors surrounding her. _'What am I doing?' _she asked herself. _'My boyfriend's on the losing team, and two of my sworn enemies are on the winning one. I shouldn't be cheering. . . But James and I aren't necessarily sworn enemies anymore. He's been nice to me lately and helped me a lot with my homework. Besides, I'm in Gryffindor.'_

As the crowd stormed out of the stands to congratulate the team, Lily was pushed and shoved along with it, still cheering. When she stepped onto the field, she saw Roger and attempted to extract herself from the mass of people to comfort him. Unfortunately, this task proved impossible, and Lily was swept toward the Gryffindor team.

Back in the Gryffindor common room, the partying began. James, of course, was the center of attention. Although he enjoyed this position immensely, it grew old after a couple hours, and James left the throng of people with great difficulty. Seeing Lily sitting by herself in a corner, James walked over and sat next to her. "I saw you at the game today," he commented.

"Tina made me go."

"Where is she anyway? I need to talk to her."

"She's probably over there with her fan club. Shouldn't you be getting back to them?"

"Nah, they get a little old after awhile." The two sat in silence for a couple minutes. Suddenly, Tina appeared next to Lily. "Finally," James said. "We need to talk." He rose quickly to his feet and led a puzzled Tina into the empty corridor. "I don't think our relationship is working out."

"You're still in love with Lily, aren't you?" she observed.

"You know?"

"It's rather obvious. I see it in your eyes every time you look at her. I kept hoping you'd fall in love with me instead. It didn't work out."

"I'm sorry. I should have never asked you out when I knew I didn't like you in that way. But I saw Roger kissing Lily, and I was so mad I just snapped. I wanted to get back at her and make her feel at least part of the jealousy I was feeling. I know it was wrong to use you like that, but I wasn't exactly thinking straight."

"Don't worry. I forgive you."

"Friends?" James stuck out his hand.

"Friends." Tina shook the offered hand.

Sighing, James leaned against the wall. "Do you think she'll ever give me a chance?"

"Someday. Just give her time."

"I hope it's not too much time."


	5. Chapter 5

The following Tuesday, James sank wearily into the chair next to Lily in Potions. He had had three grueling hours of Quidditch practice the night before and then written three essays. The two hours of sleep which followed had not been at all satisfactory. "You look awful, Potter," Lily observed.

"Too much damn homework," James muttered.

"I told you to do it over the weekend when you had time."

"Don't gloat, Evans. It doesn't become you."

As James groggily exited the classroom, he turned toward the Head dormitories, hoping to catch an hour of sleep before his next class. "Potter!" a voice called behind him. Wearily, James turned around. He was losing precious time. Whoever had called him better have a damn good reason for doing so."

"What do you want?" James glanced at the speaker and realized it was Roger.

"I want to kick your ass!"

"Any particular reason?"

"You know why. You embarrassed me in front of everyone Saturday. Including my girlfriend."

"How did I embarrass you? I was only playing Quidditch. In case you're not familiar with the rules, it's a Chaser's job to throw the Quaffle past the Keeper. I was doing my job. Maybe if you had done yours, you wouldn't be so embarrassed." James saw Roger's hand move toward his wand. Even when he was half-asleep, James had quick reflexes developed over years of playing Quidditch. His wand came out at the same time as Roger's, and both shouted spells together. Roger's hex deflected harmlessly off James's shield. Out of the corner of his eye, James saw Lily standing at the end of the corridor, her mouth hanging open as she stared at the scene before her. _'Time to impress,' _James thought. Skillfully deflecting the next curse which Roger cast, James shouted, "Expelliramus!" Roger's wand flew out of his grip into James's outstretched hand. "Attempting to hex the Head Boy in the corridor?" James shook his head in mock disapproval. "I believe that warrants a 25-point deduction from Ravenclaw." With that, James tossed the wand back to Roger and left. Finally, he reached the Head common room and collapsed onto the couch, too weary to climb the stairs to his dormitory. As he closed his eyes, the portrait swung open forcefully, hitting the wall with a resounding bang. Lily stormed over to where James was lying.

"What the hell did you do to my boyfriend?" Lily questioned.

"I took points from his house. You saw me do it."

"Before that. What did you do to make him hex you?"

"I did well at Quidditch on Saturday."

"Funny. What'd you really do? Did you put a spell on him again?"

"I told you already. He was pissed about Saturday's game. I told him I was just doing my job. He tried to hex me twice, and I blocked him. I disarmed him and took points from Ravenclaw. You need to be talking to him, not me. Now, I would appreciate it if you would let me get a little sleep." James disappeared up the stairs to his dormitory.

Lily stared at his retreating back. Could he possibly be telling the truth? Roger was really worked up over that game. He might have contributed his failure to James and sought retribution. She had assumed James had started the fight because he always began duels. But he was different lately. Still, she found it hard to believe that Roger would pick a fight with someone. She did not _want_ to believe that. Sighing, Lily left to find Roger.

That night, Lily was working on homework, as usual. Claiming he had finished his, James had left earlier to "stretch his legs." Lily did not want to begin to imagine what he was really doing. Glancing out the window, Lily saw the beautiful, clear night sky. She had always loved the night sky at Hogwarts because the stars were not as obscured by electric lighting as they were where she lived. One of her favorite pastimes as a child had been star-gazing with her father. The two would drive almost forty miles, out of the city, to a hill which he had discovered many years before. There, they would lay in the grass, staring heavenward, and he would tell her the myths associated with the sky. Looking at her essay, Lily realized she had progressed very little in the previous half hour. Maybe stretching her lets was not such a bad idea.

Lily strolled onto the ground, her eyes trained on the sky. She began to remember some of her father's lessons. "Look for the line of three stars," he had instructed, pointing out the stars he was referring to. "Those stars form Orion's belt. It's one of the most distinctive constellations in the sky. Orion was a hunter. At his feet are his two hunting dogs, Canis Major and Canis Minor. Canis Major contains Sirius, the Dog Star, which is the brightest star in the sky." Lily found these constellations and began to search for others he had described. Suddenly, she heard a voice behind her which chilled her blood.

"Stargazing, Evans?" it asked. Lily recognized it immediately as belonging to Jacob Zander. Lily turned, gripping her wand. She saw not one but four shadowy figures standing behind her, and her quick mind began to work furiously. Although she could have easily taken on Jacob alone in a duel, fighting four wizards would tax even Lily's abilities. She could try and run, but they would likely catch her. Screaming for help would not do her much good, for nobody was within hearing distance. All she could think to do was stall for time, hoping someone would come to her rescue.

"If you don't get back to your dormitory soon, you'll be out of bed after hours. I'll have to take points from Slytherin. As she said this, Lily slowly edged her way towards the gamekeeper's cabin. If she could make it there, she could be saved.

"You know what? I seriously doubt you'll be in any condition to take points from our house once we're through with you." Jacob laughed menacingly, and his friends joined in. Slowly, he raised his wand and pointed it directly at Lily.

'_So much for stalling,' _she thought. _'But if it has to happen, I'm not going to sit her and do nothing. I'm going to go down fighting.' _Steeling herself, she also drew her wand and straightened, daring Jacob to make the first move.

"Ooh, aren't we brave?" Jacob mocked. "And I thought you didn't have it in you. I thought you'd be begging and pleading for your life like the filthy Mudblood you are. That just shows that even the best of us are wrong sometimes. But it doesn't really matter now. You're going to die anyway."

"Kill me, then!" Lily shouted, sounding braver than she felt.

"My, my, aren't you the feisty one. No, I'm not going to kill you now. I'm going to have some fun first. You'll be begging for me to kill you soon. Cruciou!" Pain seared through Lily's body. She fell to the ground in agony, and her wand slipped out of her hand. The pain was like nothing Lily had ever felt before; it was utterly indescribable. Writhing in agony, she heard Jacob laugh again. Just as Lily felt that she could not take any more, the pain lifted. Trembling, Lily remained on her knees, too weak to try and grab her wand. "Not so brave now, are we?" Jacob asked, leering. "And I'm just getting started. Let's see, what to do next? I know! How about a spell I learned recently. I've been itching to try it out. Sectumsepra!"

Pain once more seared through Lily. This time, however, it was concentrated in her torso. Glancing down, Lily saw that two large gashes had appeared on her upper body, forming a letter X across her chest. Blood gushed from the wound, spilling onto the ground. Smiling at her pained expression, Jacob raised his wand again.

James had stopped by the Gryffindor common room after he left his own. He found his three friends otherwise occupied—Sirius with his latest girlfriend, Remus with his homework, and Peter with God knew what. After considering for a moment, James decided he should stretch his legs as he had told Lily. It could not hurt, after all. For a short time, he had wandered the halls aimlessly before reaching the front doors of the castle. Deciding fresh air would do him good, he pushed opened the doors and stepped out into the cool night.

James slowly ambled toward the lake, thinking of Lily, as usual. He wondered if she had talked to Roger yet. Of course, he likely did not corroborate James's story. _'That bloody git,' _James thought to himself. _'One of these days, he will get what he deserves.'_ Occupied with these thoughts, it took James a few seconds to hear the screams. Startled, James peered into the darkness surrounding him. The screams sounded unnatural, as if someone were being tortured. At the same time, they seemed oddly familiar.

"Lily!" James suddenly realized. Quickly, he began to sprint in the direction he heard the screams coming from. But he was going too slow. He would never make it in time. Without thinking, James transformed. A brilliant white stag soon galloped toward the sounds, growing steadily closer. As suddenly as they had begun, the screams stopped, leaving James's ears ringing. He knew what that likely indicated, but he refused to believe it. There was still a possibility she was alive. If he could just reach her in time. . .

Four figures soon came into view directly in front of James. A fifth lay on the ground in front of them. James recognized the sleek red hair which glimmered slightly in the moonlight. However, he still refused to believe that she could be dead. It was just not possible. Filled with rage now, James charged the boy who had his wand raised, knocking him to the ground. His three followers raised their wands to defend their fallen leader, but the fury James felt lent him unnatural strength. Dodging the poorly-aimed curses, he trampled two to the ground, stunning them as he had stunned the leader. The fourth boy began to run in the opposite direction, fearing for his life. James was tempted to follow, but he had more pressing matters to attend to. Turning, he transformed back into a human and knelt beside Lily. He cradled her head in his arms and felt blood as he placed his hand beneath her.

Lily was only vaguely aware of the events that occurred after Jacob had cast the Sectumsempra curse on her. The great volume of blood she had lost left her fighting unconsciousness. She remembered seeing a bright white stag charge the attackers and knock them to the ground. After that, the stag had turned into James. But no, that could not be right. A stag could not turn into James. She must have been further gone than she thought. She had lost too much blood. The world around her blurred as she continued to struggle to remain conscious. She felt something soft beneath her head, but her senses were still swimming. Without warning, her stomach heaved and she vomited forcefully. Too much blood loss. . . too much pain. . . a stag. . . James. . . Soon, Lily slipped into unconsciousness.

It did not take James long to located the source of the blood. He quickly pulled off the coat he was wearing over his robes and used it to try to staunch the blood flow. Unfortunately, he did not succeed; blood continued to pour from the wound. As he was trying to figure out what to do, Lily vomited suddenly. Ignoring the mess, he turned her head to the side to prevent her from choking herself. When she had finally rid herself of the contents of her stomach, James lifted her into his arms and began to carry her toward the castle, still pressing his coat tightly on her wound. Thoughts of conjuring a stretcher to make transport easier never crossed his mind; he was too concerned about Lily. As quickly as his legs would allow him, he jogged to the castle and into the hospital wing. Madame Pomfrey, the nurse, was making her nightly rounds when he burst in, clutching Lily tightly. She took one look at the two of them before ordering him to place Lily on a nearby bed. Pushing James aside, she bent over Lily and began muttering various spells, closing the wounds. Still in shock, James sunk into a nearby chair.

When Lily opened her eyes, she found herself in the darkened hospital ward. Hearing movement beside her, she glanced over to see James Potter peering anxiously at her. His brown hair seemed even messier than usual, and his face was ashen. He had dark circles under his eyes and wore a worried frown. "Where am I?" Lily questioned, surprised to hear the feebleness in her voice.

"You're in the hospital ward," James answered. "You had a run-in with some Slytherins last night."

"I remember." Lily did remember parts of it. But some memories still confused her. "What time is it?"

"Almost 5:00 am."

"I've been here all night."

"And will likely be here for another couple nights. You know how Madame Pomfrey is."

Lily managed a weak smile. "Have you been her all night, too?"

"I couldn't just leave you, could I? Madame Pomfrey told me you were going to make it, but I had to see for myself."

"Are you the only one here?"

"Nobody else knows yet. They're all asleep."

Lily wrinkled her nose. "You stink. Do you know that?"

"Yeah, well, I haven't had a chance to change yet."

"I threw up on you, didn't I?" Lily asked, remembering.

"You did."

"Sorry about that."

"It's not your fault. I don't blame you."

Why was he being so kind? Lily found herself unwittingly drawn and even attracted to him. He had saved her life. Not only had he attacked Jacob and his comrades, but he had also cared for her—even after she had thrown up on him. Then he had sat in the hospital room for hours, waiting for her to wake up. He was brave, compassionate, clever, and, Lily was forced to admit, very attractive. Even now, when his hair was wild and worry was etched into his face and his robes were covered in blood, dirt, and vomit, he looked quite handsome. _'I have a boyfriend,' _Lily reminded herself. Albeit one who might have cursed James with no provocation; she still had never found Roger to clear that matter up. But he was still her boyfriend.

"How are you feeling?" James inquired, forcing her to return to reality.

"A lot better," she said truthfully. Suddenly, she remembered something she had wanted to ask him. "When you were fighting my attackers, I saw a stag. But later it was you. Was I just seeing things because I lost so much blood?"

James was silent for a minute before responding. "No."

"But that would mean you're a. . . an. . ."

"Animagus, yeah. I can turn into a stag."

"But you're not registered."

James chuckled. "Of course not."

"Why not?"

"I'm going to let you guess the answer to that question."

"You can't just tell me?"

"I can't betray the confidence of a friend."

"Are you the only Animagi?"

"No. Sirius can turn into a dog and Peter into a rat. It took us three years to figure out, and Peter needed all the help he could get from Sirius and I."

"Why did you want to become Animagi?"

"The best way to control an animal is in animal form."

"What?"

"Think about it."

Lily did as she was told, and everything slowly began to fall into place. Remus was gone every full moon along with the three other Marauders. They often returned with cuts and scrapes. The Marauders called Remus "Moony." Sirius and James needed to control another animal—which was likely Remus. "Remus is a werewolf," Lily breathed, hardly daring to believe it.

"Thus the reason we never registered. People would be on the look-out for our animal forms all the time, and they'd ask us why we wanted to transform just like you did. That was a question we couldn't answer."

"So those nights on full moons when you didn't come to patrol the corridors with me. . ."

"I was keeping Moony company. He seems more human when he's around Sirius and I in our animal forms. And we're so large that we can control him. Sirius and I feel that Lupin shouldn't be denied anything because he's a werewolf."

Contrasting emotions battled inside Lily as she listened to James. On one hand, she wanted to chastise him for the risk he and Sirius were taking. If they had let their guard down for a couple minutes, Remus could escape and seriously injure or even kill someone. Besides, it was illegal to become an Animagus without registering. However, Lily admired James for his willingness to help a friend. She thought it was wonderful that he had worked so diligently to become an Animagus to help Lupin. Unsure of what to say, Lily chose to remain silent.

"You can't tell anyone else this, okay?" James said.

"I promise not to."

"Great. Now, if you'll excuse me for a minute, I'm going to change. I'm beginning to smell like a garbage pile."

As he reached the door, Lily called to him. "Thanks for saving my life, James."

"It was my pleasure, Lily. I'll see you in a bit." Smiling, James left the room


	6. Chapter 6

At 7:00, James was again sitting in the chair beside Lily's hospital bed. Lily had urged him to get some rest, but he had refused, telling her that he was not at all tired. Although she insisted, he remained where he was sitting, trying unsuccessfully to hide the occasional yawn. After awhile, Lily ceased her adamant entreaties for him to go to bed, for she realized they were futile. Also, she found his presence comforting.

As James began to doze off, the door to the hospital ward opened forcefully, slamming against the wall. An enraged Roger entered, and he made a beeline for James. "What the hell did you do to my girlfriend?" he inquired, lifting James out of the chair and pinning him against a nearby wall. Surprised, James was unable to respond to this assault, and, for the first time in many years, found himself beaten by his opponent.

"I saved her life, you bloody git. And if you'd calmly ask what happened instead of storming in here and assaulting me, I could have told you as much. Ask Lily if you don't believe me. She's right behind you."

"Put him down, Roger. He's telling the truth," Lily commanded. Reluctantly, Roger removed his hands, and James squirmed free.

"What was he doing with you anyway?" Roger asked.

"I just happened to be in the right place at the right time," James told him irritably, rubbing his sore shoulder which Roger had grabbed when he pushed him against the wall. He knew there would be a bruise the following day. "I heard Lily scream, and I went running. I disposed of her attackers and carried her back to the hospital ward. I don't know what your problem is." Roger rounded on James, his teeth clenched together.

Quickly, Lily said, "James, please leave us alone for a minute." James seemed as if he was about to object, but a glare from Lily silenced him. He swiftly exited the room.

"So, you're calling him James now, are you?" Roger observed as the door shut behind James.

"He saved my life, Roger. The least I can do is be civil to him. You should try to, too. He's really not a bad guy once you get to know him." Lily could not believe herself. Did those words just come out of her mouth? Did she just refer to James Potter as "not a bad guy?" It seemed unnatural. But after all, things were changing.

Lily remained in the hospital for the entire day. As James was walking to see her after lunch, he caught sight of a recognizable figure lurking in the shadows. Surely his eyes deceived him. It could not be Jacob Zander. Dumbledore must have expelled him after the events of the previous night.

But it was Jacob Zander. He wore that same smirk he always wore when he skated out of trouble. Suddenly, James's legs carried him toward the tall, lanky Slytherin boy. Pure rage surged through his blood as he came closer. James wanted to hurt Jacob and make him pay for what he had done to Lily. Obviously, Jacob noticed the determination in James's eyes, for his smirk disappeared. His eyes flicked right and left, searching for a means of escape. However, James was already directly in front of him. Just as Roger had done, James shoved Jacob against a wall and held his wand to Jacob's throat. "I just want to make one thing clear," James whispered into Jacob's ear. "If you ever, _ever _come near Lily Evans again, I will personally kill you. And it won't be quick either. You will be begging for mercy. Tell that to your gang." With that, James thought, _'Levicorpus,'_ and flicked his wand. As if drawn up by invisible string, Jacob flew toward the fifteen-foot-high ceiling. "Silencio!" James shouted. Immediately, sound ceased to come out of Jacob's mouth. James figured it would take a few hours at least for anyone to find him. "Have fun just hanging out!" he called, laughing uproariously.

When James entered the hospital ward, Roger was already seated by Lily's bed. At a glance from Lily, he rose and asked James, "Can I talk to you for a minute?"

"Sure. Why?"

Roger took in a deep breath and held out his hand. "I'm sorry I've been such a jerk lately. I hope we can be friends."

James's insides burned with fury at this statement. Friends with the boyfriend of the girl he had loved for countless years? Impossible! There was no way he could accept that hand. But Lily was staring at him intently. He knew she had orchestrated this whole thing and would be angry with him if he did not accept Roger's offer. With no other choice, he took the extended hand in his own. "Friends," he confirmed. Yeah, right.

One night, James sat in the Head common room playing Exploding Snap with Sirius. Peter and Remus lounged next to them, observing the game with great interest. Lily sat on a nearby couch, completing her homework, as usual. "You know there's a full moon tomorrow, right?" Sirius said, contemplating his next move.

"Yeah, I know," Remus answered darkly.

"Come on, man, it'll be fun. Prongs and I think we'll take you to the other side of the lake. You've never been over there before."

"Yeah, and Padfoot promises not to bite you again if you behave yourself," James joked.

"That's good. I had a gimp leg for a week last time."

"Well, I have an impressive bruise from you," Sirius countered.

"Really? I never saw it," Remus told him.

"That's because it's not in a place I typically show you." James and Remus burst out laughing. Lily looked over at the four friends with raised eyebrows.

"What do you mean by 'typically'?" she questioned.

"Eavesdropping, Evans," Sirius chided.

"She does raise a good point," James commented. "When you say typically, do you mean that on occasion you and Moony-" His words were cut off as pillows hit him on each side of his head.

At breakfast the next day, Sirius slid into the seat next to James. "I know the perfect prank to play on Snivellus," he announced.

"I told you. No more pranks," James said.

"But this one's perfect. No one will ever trace it to us."

"I don't care. I've already said-"

"I know what you already said!" Sirius interrupted. "But at least hear me out. I say we tell Snape how to stop the Whomping Willow tonight. That will surely arouse his curiousity. With any luck, he'll find the trap door and go through it. Won't he be surprised when he finds what's waiting for him at the other end of the tunnel?"

"Sirius, we don't want to kill Snivellus! Or worse, turn him into a werewolf. Think of something else less dangerous, and I'll consider helping."

"Well, you're no fun anymore." Picking up his plate, Sirius stormed off.

That night, Lily and James sat in the Head common room completing their homeword. After a rather lengthy argument about their Potions essay, Lily finally looked up the answer and found that they were both wrong. James found it hilarious that Lily was wrong about Potions and began to make jokes about Armageddon and the end of the world. Using a tactic she had seen Remus and Sirius employ numerous times, Lily hit him with a pillow. Immediately, James retaliated, and the pillow fight began. Lily soon found herself laughing harder than she had in days. She did not know why, but she felt comfortable with James. Unlike around others, she did not feel the least bit awkward as if she had to conceal herself. Each time she talked with him, Lily felt as if she could pour her heart out to him. It was a feeling unlike anything she had around anyone else, including her best friends.

"So, should we get back to that essay?" James asked once the laughter subsided.

"I guess we should."

As the two began working, Lily suddenly asked, "What do you want to do when you graduate?"

The question took James by surprise. He was silent for a couple minutes before responding. "I've always thought I'd become an Auror like my parents. What about you?"

"I don't really know. My parents are Muggles, so I can't really follow in their footsteps. I thought about becoming a Healer, but I don't think I can do that."

"Why not? You're bloody brilliant!"

"But I hate the sight of blood. Now that I think about it, though, becoming an Auror doesn't sound half-bad. My mum won't be happy though. She's a nurse—a Muggle healer, basically."

"I've never heard you talk about your family before."

"That's because I don't want to think about my older sister, Petunia." Lily shuddered. Without warning, all the feelings toward her sister that had been building up over the past four years came pouring out of Lily's mouth. She told James about her sister's jealousy and resentment, she told him about her own hurt and sadness and rage. From there, Lily continued to talk, spilling her innermost secrets—secrets she had not even shared with Tina or Julie. She told him about how she was still afraid of the dark and how she had once accidentally locked herself in a dark shed for hours until her parents finally found her. She told James about how her best friend had died when she was nine. Finally, she told him about her confused feelings for Roger. "I just don't know," she said. "I like him, sure, but I don't know if I like him as more than a friend. It's all so confusing!"

James had listened in silence to her entire rant which lasted more than half an hour. When she had confessed her mixed feelings for Roger, his heart had soared. Maybe there was still a chance. He could always hope. . .

At that moment, the clock above the fireplace began to chime. Glancing up, James saw that it was 9:00. He had to meet Sirius and Peter! "Lily," he began.

"Oh right, it's a full moon!" she recalled. "I'm sorry!"

"Don't worry about it. This has been fun. We should do it again sometime."

"You don't mind me unloading my problems on you?"

"It's supposed to be therapeutic. I'll be back later, and we can continue if you're still up. See you in a bit!" James quickly strode to the Gryffindor common room. When he entered, he saw Peter sitting alone in a table in the corner.

"Great, you're here!" Peter exclaimed, scurrying over to James. "I was beginning to wonder if we were still going out tonight."

"Where's Padfoot?" James asked.

"He's not with you?"

"No." A sudden apprehension seized James. "Did he say anything before he left?"

"All I remember is something about you being a goody-goody. And then he mentioned Snivellus. Is something wrong? James? James!" But James had already left the common room, leaving the portrait of the Fat Lady which covered the entrance swinging behind him.

James kept his invisibility cloak with him at all times for emergencies such as this one. Unfortunately, Sirius had the Marauders' Map with him that night. That did not matter, however. James knew where he was going. Quickly, he jogged down the corridors to the front doors, carefully avoiding students out for a last-minute stroll before curfew. James threw the front doors open and made a beeline for the Whomping Willow. The night was chilly, but James took no notice of this. He knew what he had to do. When the Whomping Willow came into sight, James saw a shadowy figure standing next to it, staring intently at the hidden door in the tree's trunk. Pulling the invisibility cloak off, James strode purposefully toward the figure. As James reached it, the person turned around and greeted James. "Did you decide to come and join the fun, Prongs?" Sirius inquired.

"What the hell do you think you're doing?" James shouted.

"Just having a little fun. Calm down."

"Calm down? You just sent someone in to face a werewolf alone. I don't care if he's our worst enemy; he doesn't deserve that. Besides, have you even considered what could happen to Moony? Snape'll put two and two together in no time and be blabbing to everyone in the school tomorrow. Moony could be kicked out!" Sirius paled as James said this.

"I didn't think of that," he said quietly.

"You didn't think period!" James stormed past him into the dark tunnel. He hurried along it, hoping to catch a glimpse of Snape soon. After almost fifteen minutes, James began to grow desperate. He had traveled the tunnel countless times and knew it would end soon. If he did not find Snape before long, he shuddered to think of the possibilities. But there! He saw a faint light up ahead. Moving quickly, he soon saw a tall, gawky boy pushing on something in front of him. The trap door! He could not open it, for it would allow Remus passage into the tunnel. "No!" James shouted, rushing toward Snape. Snape hesitated, but he had already opened the door enough for it to give way under the weight of the creature above it. A furry paw with large claws swiped the air where Snape had been standing moments before. James had pushed him aside in the nick of time. However, the creature had no intention of giving up so easily. It stood up for a renewed attack. "Run, Severus!" James called.

"But what-"

"Run!" At that moment, the creature stuck its whole head out the trap door, snarling. Blood, likely its own, dripped from its teeth, and its beady red eyes focused on the two boys. Severus did not need to be told again; he turned and ran. As he disappeared around a corner, James changed to his stag form and charged the creature, smashing his own head against its. Howling in agony, the creature withdrew its head into the room. "Sorry about that, Moony," James muttered as he quickly morphed back into his human form and locked the trap door.

When James emerged from the Whomping Willow, he found Sirius pacing back and forth anxiously. Snape lay on the ground nearby, wheezing. "Just wait until I tell everyone what I saw in there!" he said with a sneer. "Your little friend the werewolf won't be with us much longer, I'm afraid."

"You can't do that," James told him, rubbing his sore head.

"Of course I can. In fact, I think I'll do it now." Snape stood up, still wearing his infuriating smirk. James had very little time to think. He could not let Snape enter the castle; Remus's secret would be all over the school the following day if Snape told just one person. James only had one option. He had to take Snape to Dumbledore. Unfortunately, Snape would never make the journey willingly.

"Stupefy!" James shouted. A jet of red light flew out of his wand and hit Snape in the back. Snape fell to the ground, stunned, and James raised him up with a flick of his wand. Soon, Snape was floating three feet above the ground with James's wand pointed straight at him.

"What are you going to do with him?" Sirius asked.

"I'm taking him to Dumbledore, of course."

"Good idea! I'll come with you!"

"No. You need to get back to the dormitory."

"But-"

"No buts. I'm going alone." James threw the invisibility cloak over Snape's body and began to stride toward the castle before Sirius could make any more objections. When he finally reached the statue that he knew opened to reveal the stairs to Dumbledore's office, he realized he did not know the password. "Fizzing whizbee," he said, hesitantly. The statue showed no signs of movement. "Bertie Botts' Every Flavored Beans. Chocolate Frogs. Cockroach Cluster." As he was beginning to run out of types of candy, the statue swung open, and James was staring straight at Dumbledore himself.

"Hello there, James," Dumbledore greeted, smiling benevolently down at him over his half-moon spectacles. "To what do I owe this pleasure?"

"It's about Remus, sir."

Dumbledore suddenly seemed concerned. "What about him?"

"Well, Snape here sort of. . . saw him. When he was transformed." James pulled the cloak off Snape, revealing his eerily-floating body.

Dumbledore did not seem surprised to see Snape floating there. Nor did he seem surprised that James knew of Remus's condition. Instead, he took one look at Snape and said, "I will take care of this matter. Thank you, James."

"But, sir, he threatened to tell everyone."

"I will take care of it, James." Although Dumbledore did not yell, his tone clearly indicated that the conversation was over. Without another word, James picked up the Invisibility Cloak and began to walk away. "Oh, and James," Dumbledore called after him. James turned. "Tell Mr. Black to see Professor McGonagall about his detentions."

As James was trudging back to his dormitory, he saw Lily at the end of the corridor. Not wishing to talk to her at the moment, he turned to find a different route. She had already spotted him, however, questioned. "I thought you had gone out with Remus, but I saw Sirius earlier going up to his dormitory. He wouldn't tell me what's going on; all he said was that you had gone to see Professor Dumbledore. What happened?"

"Nothing. Let's just patrol the corridors."

"I am not taking that as an answer. Now, tell me!"

"It's stupid. Sirius thought it would be fun to tell Snape-"

"Snape! Have you been torturing Sanpe again? I thought you gave that up after last year."

"I have not been torturing Snape! If you'd just listen-"

"What has he ever done to you?"

"Oh, you mean besides trying to hex me while my back was turned?" By this time, James's voice had grown so loud that he was surprised he had not attracted attention. "You were there. You saw that. Or how about that time he switched my frog spleen with dragon liver in Potions? If I hadn't smelled the difference, I could've blown myself up!"

"That still does not give you an excuse to torture him every chance you get."

"I told you already. It was Sirius who orchestrated the whole thing. If you'd just listen for once-"

"I've been listening to you, Potter. And all I've heard are lies!"

"You know what? I'm sick of having to explain myself to you! You're obviously going to think the worst of me no matter what I say. So I'm through chasing after you! Does that make you happy?" James started to go, but spun around suddenly to face Lily. "But before I go, how about a parting gift?" His arms reached out, one encircling her shoulders and one her waist. She felt the steely strength of his muscles as he pulled her close to him and crushed his lips down on hers.

The kiss was unlike anything Lily had ever experienced before. The force of his lips bent her head back at an odd angle. Despite the force of the kiss, however, it was also deeply passionate. Emotions Lily had never known existed cascaded through her body. _'I have a boyfriend,' _she told herself. _'But he doesn't kiss nearly as well as this,' _another part of her pointed out. When Lily kissed Roger, she felt nothing as if she had locked lips with a brick wall. But with James, it was different. She had always scoffed at books which spoke of the fluttering feeling experienced during the first kiss. Now, however, she realized what they were speaking of. The fluttering feeling filled her entire body, warming it and causing her to forget any previous inhibitions. She yielded to his steely embrace, bringing her body closer to his.

Suddenly, James pulled away, releasing his hold on Lily. She stood for a second, breathing heavily. The kiss had ended much too soon; Lily wished it could continued forever. "Goodbye, Lily," James said, smiling sadly. He turned to walk away.

After he had moved a few feet away, Lily called, "James!"

"Yes?" He spun around to face her.

Lily began to walk forward. A small part of her continuously reminded her, _'This is James Potter. You're not supposed to kiss James Potter.' _But another, much larger part, said, _'Yes, but that was the best kiss in your entire life.' _Lily had reached James by this time. Placing her hands on his cheeks, she pulled his face to hers, and their lips met again.

A soaring feeling filled James's stomach as she brought her lips to his. After all those years, his wish had come true. He was kissing Lily Evans. Not only that, but she was also kissing him. Willingly. It seemed too good to be true. Carefully, hoping he was not pressing his luck, James slid his tongue out of his mouth and touched her lips gently. After a few moments, they opened, and he slipped his tongue into her mouth.

Lily did not know what she was doing. She had never even let Roger reach first base. Sure, he had wanted to, but she had prevented him from doing so. Now, she had allowed James's tongue passage into her mouth, and it was only their second kiss. They had not even been on a date yet! And she was still technically dating Roger. Yet as James's tongue probed her mouth, she forgot all her doubts. Love does funny things to a person.


	7. Chapter 7

Lily had no idea how long the kiss lasted. But it ended quite suddenly when a familiar voice shouted, "Mr. Potter! Miss Evans! What are you two doing?" Lily and James broke apart quickly and found themselves staring at an irate Professor McGonagall. Lily was afraid James would make a sarcastic comment; however, he wisely held his tongue.

"I'm sorry about that, Professor," Lily apologized. "It won't happen again. I promise."

"I should say not!" Professor McGonnagall said sharply. "You two are the Heads of this school! You should be setting an example for others. Now, return to your dormitories at once. I will finish the patrol for tonight." Wishing to escape Professor McGonagall's presence, James and Lily quickly began to make their way back to the dormitory. "Potter, Evans!" McGonagall called after them. They turned, apprehensive. "It is only what you do in the halls of this school where everyone else can see that concerns me." With that, she walked away. James could not believe his ears. Had Professor McGonagall just given them permission to. . . but no, she could not have. Yet she had an odd glint in her eye at the time.

When Lily and James reached the Head common room, James caught Lily's hand before she could disappear up the stairs to her dormitory. "I need to ask you something," he said.

"What is it?"

"I was just wondering. . . if you wanted. . . maybe. . ." Damn. He sounded like an idiot. Since when had he been nervous asking a girl out. "Do you want to go on a date with me sometime?" he blurted out suddenly.

Lily longed to say, "Of course," but something held her back. "I have to do something first," she told him.

"Roger?" Lily nodded. "But that is a yes, right?"

"Yes it is."

The following morning, Lily entered the Great Hall and headed straight for the Ravenclaw table where Roger was sitting. He stood up and attempted to kiss her, but Lily turned her head. "We need to talk," she told him. He followed her out into the now-empty corridor. Lily took a deep breath and began. "I'm sorry to have to do this, but I'm going to have to break up with you. I just don't like you as a boyfriend. I don't think it's fair for me to continue seeing you when I feel that way."

"James," Roger muttered darkly.

"What?"

"You're breaking up with me for James."

"I never said that. I-"

"You didn't have to say it! It's rather obvious. And you haven't denied it either."

"Look, Roger, I'm really sorry-"

"No, you're not. You don't care how I feel! I don't want to see you ever again." He stormed off, leaving Lily staring after him on the verge of tears. James, who had been watching the scene unfold from beneath his invisibility cloak, emerged and wrapped his arms tightly around Lily. She began to sob onto his shoulder.

"I don't think we should go out," she sobbed.

"What?" he asked, taken-aback.

"I don't want to go through that again."

"You won't have to. We were meant for each other. Can't you feel it?"

"I don't know what I feel anymore."

"Sure you do. You just have to trust your instincts and take the plunge."

"Don't break my heart, James Potter."

"I won't," he said, stroking her hair. "I promise."

By lunchtime that day, the whole school seemed to know that James Potter and Lily Evans were going out. People talked about it constantly, speculating about what had brought about the abrupt change. Lily wished that people would not talk about it so much; she had hoped to keep hers and James's relationship a secret for Roger's sake. Unfortunately, her plan had failed miserably. Girls she did not even know were congratulating her all day although most of them wore envious looks as they did so.

As James was walking into the Great Hall, the other three Marauders cornered him. "So, what's this I hear about you and Evans?" Sirius asked. James attempted to escape, but Sirius stepped to the side and blocked him. "You're not going anywhere until you tell us what happened."

Sighing, James said, "There's not much to tell." The other three continued to stare at him expectantly. "Well, you'll be happy to know, Padfoot, that you helped in a way."

"I did?"

"Yeah. Lily started chewing me out because she thought I had something to do with that whole Snape thing. I kept telling her I didn't have anything to do with it, but she wouldn't believe me. I finally got sick of arguing and told her that I was through chasing after her. I don't know why, but for some reason, I couldn't stop thinking about kissing her. So I did."

"Was there tongue involved?" Sirius asked.

"The second time."

"You kissed her twice?" This time, Remus did the questioning.

"No. I kissed her the first time. She kissed me the second."

"And then?" Sirius inquired.

"Then McGonagall came and saw us and chewed us out."

"McGonagall caught you snogging Evans?" Sirius seemed barely able to control his laughter.

"Yeah. Then she said something about how she didn't care what we did in private and left."

"McGonagall said that?" Sirius suddenly seemed interested.

"Yes. And then Lily and I went back to the Head common room, and I asked her out, and she finally said yes." As he said this, James slipped under Sirius's arm and entered the Great Hall. A loud cheer erupted from the Gryffindor table as he sat down next to Lily. Some Hufflepuffs and Ravenclaws were clapping, too. James was tempted to bow, but he knew that action would not please Lily, so he refrained from doing so. "You don't look happy," he observed.

"I feel sorry for him," Lily said, nodding to Roger who was staring morosely at his empty plate.

"I'll be right back." James rose from his seat and walked to the Hufflepuff table. Lily watched curiously as he approached a beautiful blond girl and bent down to whisper something in her ear. A sudden jealousy consumed Lily; it was stronger than anything she had ever felt before. She wanted to scream at the two of them and throw something at the girl's pretty face. Soon, however, James stood up and walked back over to Lily.

"What was that about?" she asked, trying to sound unconcerned.

"Just watch." Lily did as he asked and saw the girl walk over and sit next to Roger. The two began talking in low voices, and he seemed to perk up immediately. "She owed me a favor," James explained.

"Do I even want to know shy?"

"I'm horrified that you'd think that, Lily Evans." Despite this statement, James had a smile on his face. "I helped her with her homework a couple times. When I asked her if she could help a friend get over a heartbreak, she eagerly agreed. And she seems to be doing a good job." James watched as a smile spread over Roger's face. "Now that we got him cheered up, we've got to get you cheered up. I seem to remember you promising me a date. How about tomorrow night after our last class?"

"Sounds good." Lily smiled.

"Great. Dinner will be provided. No need to dress up."

"What are we going to do?"

"It's a surprise."

For the next two days, Lily tried to imagine what James was planning for their first date. After the disaster date with Roger, she was unsure about what might happen. As Tina had pointed out, there was very little you could do at Hogwarts. However, a walk around the ground with James would be more enjoyable than one with Roger. But he had also promised her dinner. Maybe a picnic. . .

After Herbology, Lily hurried up to the Head bathroom to shower and change before her date. Although James had told her there was no need to dress up, she did not want to go on her first date with dirt-stained clothes smelling like dung. Lily grabbed a change of clothes and quickly entered the bathroom, hoping to shower and change before James showed up. As the door closed behind her, Lily gasped in surprise. James stepped out of the shower wearing nothing but a towel around his waist. "I-I'm sorry," Lily stammered. "I didn't know you were in here." Her eyes traveled over the impressive musculature on his chest.

"It's no problem. I'm finished anyway. I'll see you in a bit." He smiled at her and left the room. Lily thought about asking him how he arrived at the dormitory quicker than her but realized that his vast knowledge of the castle's secret passages likely helped. When he left, she quickly stripped off her clothes and stepped into the cool, refreshing shower water. After a short shower, she dressed and combed her hair. James was waiting for her in the common room when she emerged. "Ready?" he asked. Lily nodded, and he took her hand and led her out into the corridor. Since most people were already in the Great Hall eating dinner, the corridors were quiet except for the sounds of James's and Lily's feet. The two walked in silence as James led the way up a flight of steps. _'So, not a walk,' _Lily thought _'What then?'_ Finally, James stopped in front of a blank wall. Lily was extremely confused by this time and began to wonder if the whole date was some sort of an elaborate joke. James began to pace in front of the blank wall, obviously concentrating hard; after the third time, a door appeared in the wall. Wordlessly, he opened it and beckoned Lily in. When she entered, she found herself in a room she had never seen before. A table set for two sat in the corner of the room, and a delicious aroma came from the food sitting on it. In the center of the room was a large television surrounded by shelves filled with movies. A large, comfortable-looking sofa faced the tv.

"You said your ideal first date would be dinner and a movie," James said, entering the room and shutting the door behind him. "I thought you might like-" His word were cut off suddenly as Lily pulled his face to hers and planted her lips firmly on his. He eagerly returned the kiss, pressing closer to her. His tongue greedily explored her mouth, and his hands slowly caressed her hips.

After a few minutes, Lily pulled back slowly. "Where did you find this place?"

"This, my dear, is the Room of Requirement. Just walk back and forth in front of the wall outside thinking about what you want, and the room will appear. It's extremely useful."

"I'm sure it is."

"So, do you want to eat dinner while we watch a movie or eat and talk first and then watch the movie?"

"I like the second option."

"Me too." James gave her a quick kiss before leading her to the table and pulling out a chair for her. "Dinner is served," he announced.

As the two ate, Lily began to question James. "Do you have any siblings?"

"Nope. I'm an only child. Maybe that's why I'm so spoiled." He smiled.

"Any pets?"

"My parents would never let me have any. I always wanted a dog."

"A dog? Not an owl?"

"Owls are cool and all, but I've always loved dogs. I don't know why."

"What's your favorite color?"

"These are all easy questions."

"They'll get harder, believe me. Now, answer and stop stalling."

"Green. Like your eyes."

"I've always been partial to blue."

"My turn to ask a question," James declared. "What's your favorite place to be?"

"The beach. I've always loved walking barefoot in the sand and having the waves lapping at my feet. What about you? If you could be anywhere in the world right now, where would you be?"

"Right here with you." James's hazel eyes locked with Lily's green ones, and she blushed. After a few seconds of silence, she tore her gaze from his and began to eat, trying not to think of his last words. For the next ten minutes, the only sounds were the clinking of silverware on the plates as the two ate the delicious dinner before them. Finally, Lily asked another question.

"What's your deepest, darkest secret?"

"You already know that." James laughed at the puzzled look. "I'm an Animagus."

"Right, but the Marauders all know that. What's something no one else knows?"

James thought for a minute. "You'll never tell anyone else, right?" Lily nodded. "I started taking piano lessons when I was four and actually enjoyed playing. I still enjoy it, in fact, but I had to quit lessons when I came to Hogwarts."

"That's it? That's your big secret?"

"What'd you expect? 'Sometimes I like to hurt myself'?"

"No, of course not. But I don't see why that's a secret."

"Playing the piano is not very macho. My friends would laugh if I told them, especially Sirius. It's not something I advertise."

"It still seems a little week."

"How about this? When I was seven, I broke my mum's favorite statue. I ran to the nearest Muggle town with all my pocket money and bought a new one. It was fake, of course. She still doesn't know that the statue she shows off to her guests is a 20 pound knock-off."

"Better. Now, what happened Wednesday night/"

"Are you going to listen to the full story this time and stop accusing me?"

"Yes. I'm sorry about that."

"I forgive you." After he said this, James proceeded to tell her the entire story, and she listened quietly.

"So you tried to save Snape?"

"Yeah. And the bloody git repaid me by threatening to tell the whole school about poor Moony. I don't know what Dumbledore did, but it seemed to have worked because Moony didn't get kicked out."

"Dumbledore can solve just about anything."

"Yes, he can. My turn now." The questioning continued for the remainder of dinner. When both had finished eating, James led Lily to the couch and began to examine the shelves of movies. "I believe you said you liked _Titanic_ and _Star Wars_," he said, holding two movies up. "Which should we watch?"

"_Star Wars. _You won't like _Titanic._"

"How do you know that?"

"Have you ever read a romance novel?"

"I tried to once. It was too boring."

"Then you won't like _Titanic._"

"_Star Wars _it is then." James placed _Titanic_ back on the shelf. He looked down at the television curiously and then back at the box in his hand. He turned it over, examining its surface. "Um, Lily? What do I do now?" he questioned.

Laughing, Lily stood up. "Here. I'll do it." She grabbed the movie from his hand and showed him how to insert it into the VCR.

"Brilliant," he whispered as she pressed play to begin the movie. The two sat down on the couch, and James put his arm around Lily and pulled her close, kissing the top of her head. As the movie began, James became enthralled with the acting and special effects. Lily laughed at his enthusiasm, for he sounded like a five-year-old. Eventually, he settled down a bit although his eyes remained glued to the screen. When the movie finally ended, Lily glanced at her watch and stood up. "We have to go patrol the corridors now," she told James.

"If I must." He stood up slowly with an exaggerated sigh.

"Come on. I promise I'll make it worth your time." She smiled mischeviously.

"Lily Evans, you simply astound me." James let her grab his hand and lead him out of the room. When the door closed behind them, it melted back into the wall, disappearing from view. "Wait a second," James said. He pulled her close to him, grabbing her other hand. Slowly, he lowered his head until his lips locked on hers. His hands dropped hers and moved to her hips as he deepened the kiss, slipping his tongue into her mouth once more. After a minute, he began to inch his hands downward, still holding her body close to his. Reason reminded Lily that she was once again kissing James in the middle of the hallway after Professor McGonagall had seen them and reprimanded them. Yet as she felt James's warm body close to hers, all reason abandoned Lily. She did not care who saw them; all she cared about was remaining in James's close embrace where she felt safe and loved. Eventually, the two broke apart, and James said, "We wouldn't want McGonagall to see us again, would we?" With a smile, he took her hand, nad the two began to slowly stroll down the corridor.

"I've got another question," Lily declared. "How many girls have you kissed?"

James thought for a second. "Four including you. Tina, Jamie Balden, and Lucy Walker."

"Do mine ears deceive me? The great James Potter, pinnacle of coolness, has only kissed four girls? You've been out with dozens!"

"Yeah, but they weren't all that special. I saw no reason to kiss them. What about you? How many boys have you kissed?"

"Two. You and Roger."

"Really? What about what's his name—the guy you went out with last year. Dan something or other."

"He and I barely reached the holding-hands stage."

"Wow. You learn something new every day."

"Why did you suddenly stop hexing people for fun this year?"

"Tina told me I needed to stop if I wanted to stop you from hating me so much." James stopped and looked at Lily, his hazel eyes boring into her emerald green ones. "I did it for you."

The next morning, Lily woke up to see two people peering over her. Startled, she sat up quickly, slamming her head into the headboard. The sharp pain fully woke her, and she immediately recognized the people in front of her. "Tina! Julie! What are you doing here?"

"We wanted to be the first to hear how your date went last night," Tina told her.

"In detail," Julie added.

Lily rubbed her eyes and sat up, blinking in the bright light. "It was the best date I've ever had," she said truthfully. "He remembered me saying that my ideal first date would be dinner and a movie, so he took me to this place called the Room of Requirement which had dinner and a movie."

"How sweet," Julie said.

"He obviously makes more of an effort when he genuinely likes the girl he's going out with," Tina observed.

"Oh, Tina, I'm sorry-"

"Don't be. I don't think I ever liked James as more than a friend. Besides, there's someone else I like now."

"Who?" Julie asked.

"The Ravenclaw Quidditch Captain, Gregory McKain. Now, enough about me. You still haven't told us everything about your date, Lily." After Lily had explained the events of the date (in great detail, after prompting from her friends), Tina asked, "So, what happened when you got back from patrolling the corridors. Did he kiss you goodnight?"

"Yes."

"What kind of kiss? Was it just a short peck?"

"No, it was. . . rather lengthy."

"How lengthy?"

"I don't know. . . maybe an hour or so. We heard the clock chime and realized how late it was getting."

"An hour? You snogged James Potter for an hour?" Tina was incredulous. "I didn't think he was that great of a kisser."

"He's a wonderful kisser."

"If you say so." A loud crack suddenly sounded outside the door followed by a string of expletives. Lily recognized the voice.

"James?" she called, running in the door. She opened it to reveal a long, slippery ramp leading into the common room. James lay at the bottom, covered in food.

"I knew the stairs to the girls' dormitory in the Gryffindor common room turned into a ramp if boys tried to go up, but I thought they'd trust us Heads more," James muttered, picking pieces of egg out of his hair.

"What were you doing?" Lily asked, trying to stifle her laughter.

"Trying to bring you breakfast in bed. It didn't work out as well as I planned." James waved his wand, and the mess began to clean itself up.

"I didn't know you could cook."

"I can't. The last time I tried magic cooking, the food tasted like rubber. However, the house elves were happy to oblige when I went to the kitchens and asked for breakfast for two this morning. I guess I'll have to go again."

Lily slid down the ramp, landing in front of James who caught her and set her on her feet. Heedless of her watching friends, Lily pulled his head down and kissed him full on the lips. "Oh, please," Tina muttered as she and Julie slid down the ramp and left the room.

"That was a really sweet gesture," Lily told him. "Thank you."

"Maybe we could make breakfast in bed a picnic," James suggested.

"It's freezing outside!"

"Magic fires aren't difficult to conjure."

"Let's just eat in the Great Hall today. We can do breakfast in bed or the picnic some other time."

"You sure? Because I can-" Lily stopped his lips with hers. After a few seconds, he murmured, "I'll take that as a yes." As they walked toward the Great Hall hand-in-hand, Lily was struck by the oddity of their relationship. She would never have imagined at the beginning of the year that she would begin dating James Potter. She especially would not have imagined enjoying the experience. Yet here she was, holding hands with the boy she had sworn to hate and laughing at his ceaseless jokes. And Lily was happier than she had ever been before.


	8. Chapter 8

"What are you doing this morning?" Lily asked at breakfast, watching James shovel food into his mouth. He swallowed before answering.

"Quidditch practice. You should come out and watch."

"No, I really can't. I've got-"

"Homework. Yeah, I know. Come on, Lils, you need to give yourself a break. Relax and live a little. How about a deal? You take some time for yourself—hand out with Tina and Julie or something—and you and I will do homework together after lunch. I won't even complain."

"We won't get anything done."

"No distractions. At least, none for the first couple hours, I promise."

James ended practice early that day. "You all flew really well today," he told his team. "So, as a reward, I'm letting you go early."

"In other words, he wants time to go snog his girlfriend," Sirius said. James glared at him as the other team members began to disperse. Sirius picked up a nearby towel and wiped the sweat off his face before throwing it over his shoulder. Remus and Peter joined the two as they began the trek back to the castle. "You know, mate," Sirius said to James. "I think we need to get Moony and Wormtail here girlfriends."

"Not a bad idea, Padfoot," James agreed.

"Do we get any say in this?" Remus questioned.

"It depends. Do you agree with me?"

"Maybe."

"Then maybe you get some say in it. Now, what about that brown-haired Ravenclaw chick with the blue eyes?" Remus just shook his head as he listened to Sirius and James's suggestions. Sometimes, his friends could be rather annoying. As the four reached the castle, Tina, Julie, and Lily walked out the front doors. James quickly abandoned his conversation with Sirius and rushed to greet Lily, lifting her off her feet as he swung her around. On the other hand, a girlfriend might not be such a bad thing.

Naturally, James decided to follow Lily instead of returning to the castle as he had originally planned. The other three Marauders followed and were soon talking amicably with Tina and Julie. Lily smiled as she watched the five people interact. It was amazing that her and James's relationship could bring such different people together. "What are you thinking about?" James inquired. He was once more peering at her with his penetrating hazel eyes.

"Just how nice it is to have friends who adapt well to new people."

"It is nice, isn't it?" After a few seconds, James called to the others. "We'll catch up with you in a bit!" He grabbed Lily's hand and led her off to the right, eventually pulling her behind a large tree. "But sometimes it's nice to be alone and not bothered by friends," he whispered, smiling. Lily knew what was coming, but her heart still leapt when he kissed her. The familiar fluttering feeling returned in full force, and Lily lost herself in the kiss. All sense of time was gone as she stood enjoying herself.

A familiar voice suddenly called, "Get a room, you two!"

James pulled away quickly and shouted, "Padfoot, you're going to pay for that!" Sirius began to run, closely pursued by James. Laughing, the others followed, enjoying their friendship.

Lily woke up the next morning to find herself on the couch with James, her head resting against his shoulder. His arm was draped around her, holding her against his side possessively. Although they had completed most of their homework the previous afternoon, their Potions essays were still half-finished. Sighing, Lily picked up her quill to finish hers before realizing she had no idea what to write about. Since it was Sunday, she decided to let James sleep in; she kissed his temple gently and covered him with a blanket before heading down for breakfast.

Lily entered the Great Hall and found Julie already eating. Falling into the chair beside her friend, Lily began to fill her plate with the delicious-smelling food. As she buttered a piece of toast, a loud fluttering overhead announced the arrival of the post. A large barn owl landed next to Lily, dropping the paper he was carrying in his beak. After paying him, Lily unrolled the paper and gasped as she scanned the front page. "What is it?" Julie questioned, attempting to read over Lily's shoulder.

"Listen to this." Lily began to read the article. "'Claire and Robert Duggins were found murdered yesterday morning at their home. Over their house hung a shadowy mark—a skull with a snake emerging from its mouth. This distinctive mark leads authorities to believe that these deaths are linked to a string of murders which has occurred over the past few weeks. The perpetrator of these heinous crimes, who calls himself "Lord Voldemort," is currently at large. He has amassed a large number of followers who refer to themselves as the "Death Eaters." Be warned that these people, especially Voldemort himself, are extremely dangerous. Extra precautions should be taken.' Then it just lists a bunch of safety tips."

"Wow," Tina breathed. "Just when you think everything's safe. . ."

"The world points its finger at you and laughs at your naïveté," Lily continued to stare at the article which included a list of the witches and wizards believed to have been murdered by Voldemort or his followers. The list included more than thirty names. Although Lily did not recognize any of them, it made her think about her own mortality. At any time, her life could be snuffed out suddenly, and she would become just another name on the list. Lily was so absorbed in these thoughts that she did not notice James coming toward her. When he bent down to kiss her cheek, she jumped a foot in the air.

"You're a little jumpy today, Lils. What's wrong?" James inquired. Lily gestured a the newspaper in front of her. James picked it up and scanned it quickly before pulling Lily into an ardent embrace. "You're perfectly safe here," he assured her. "Dumbledore's the greatest wizard who ever lived. Nobody can touch you here."

"What about after we graduate? Then what? We leave Hogwarts and get killed by Voldemort?" Lily found herself fighting tears. She had no idea why the article had affected her like it did; it was completely out of character for her to be so timid. Yet here she was, cowering like a five-year-old child.

"I'll be there to protect you then," James promised, tightening his hold on her. She was actually trembling; James had never seen her so terrified before. However, he did enjoy holding her and comforting her as she clung to him. It had a certain appeal. "I'll defend you with my life. I'm not going anywhere." They sat in silence for a couple minutes, wrapped in one another's arms. Finally, James said, "Now, come on, eat your breakfast. There's something I want to show you."

After both of them had finished eating, James took Lily's hand and led her to the Room of Requirement. She watched, puzzled, as he paced in front of the wall until a door appeared. Wondering if he was planning on watching another movie, she followed him into the room. As soon as she entered, she realized that the room was not set up for watching movies. Instead, Lily saw a dog which looked quite similar to a black Labrador retriever (although it was abnormally large) lying on a bed in the center surrounded by four puppies. Lily rushed to pet one, and James shouted, "Careful! They're not your normal household pets!" Unfortunately, the warning came too late. When Lily reached out to pet one of the puppies, it sneezed, and a small burst of flames blew out its nose. Crying out in pain, Lily withdrew her hand. "Dammit! Lily, are you okay?"

Lily nodded. "It was just a shock, that's all."

"You sure?"

"Yeah." Lily let her hand drop to her side. "Where did you find these guys anyway?"

"I didn't find them. Hagrid did. I thought it best not to ask where. Fang was getting jealous of the attention Hagrid was giving them, so I offered to take care of them for him."

"What are you going to do with them?"

"Leave them here, at least for the time being. When they get older, I can take them for walks outside. There's a passage which leads straight to the edge of the Forbidden Forest ouside this room behind that old knight."

"What about over Winter Holidays?"

"I'll leave them with Hagrid." Lily continued to question him although she, too, enjoyed playing with the puppies. She had to admit, people who believed in the therapeutic effects of animals certainly knew what they were talking about. After a half an hour of playing (carefully) with the puppies, Lily had completely forgotten about the horrible newspaper article. James stood and stretched, checking his watch. "I've got to get going," he told her.

"You called Quidditch practice today?"

"Of course not!"

"So then where are you going?"

"I'll never tell."

"Does it involve a girl?"

"Yeah. About twenty of them, actually."

"What? James Potter, you are the most infuriating-" Her words were cut off by his lips.

"If you'd just shut up and follow me, Lils, you can find out where I'm going." Lily opened her mouth to argue, but she was prevented from speaking by his lips. When he finally pulled back, Lily closed her mouth and took the offered hand. After a couple secret passages, the two ended up in front of the library. Bewildered, Lily followed James to a table in the back where she saw around thirty students—nearly all of them girls—who ranged from tiny first years to seventh years a head taller than Lily. "I offered to help a couple people study about a month ago. The idea seemed to catch on," James explained. "I thought that they might benefit from your experience. If you're willing to help, of course."

"Of course." Lily shook her head; James never ceased to amaze her.

James and Lily's second date was set for Friday after dinner. Lily wondered what he was planning; the first date had been so perfect that he would have quite a bit to live up to. Of course, Lily regarded any time she spent with James as special. Unfortunately, the teachers had begun to steadily increase the homework load, bending many of the seventh years almost to their breaking points. On top of that, there were Head duties to attend to, and James had Quidditch practice. All in all, Lily was greatly looking forward to Friday night regardless of what James had planned.

He greeted her at dinner that night with a kiss and a smile. Both ate quickly, each one eager to leave. "Ready to go?" James asked when Lily had cleared her plate. She nodded. Taking her hand, he directed her up the stairs to a statue of Boris the Bewildered. Wearing an expression much like that of the statue, Lily followed James into the secret passage concealed behind the statue. The tunnel led downwards before beginning to flatten out, extending farther than Lily could see. On either side, darkness pressed closer, and Lily lit her wand, watching James do the same. After a walk of at least a mile, James stopped abruptly, causing Lily to walk into him. She glanced around, confused. There was nothing special about the area surrounding them; it looked the same as everything else in the tunnel. Utter blackness engulfed them, broken only by the faint beam of their wands. "I believe we're off the grounds by now," James commented.

"James, what-" He pulled her to him and brought her lips forcefully down on hers. As they kissed, Lily felt a familiar tugging feeling, as if her body was being pulled along forcefully. For a second, Lily seemed to be floating in nothingness, but her feet soon touched solid ground. It did not take long for Lily to realize where they were; she could hear the crashing of the waves and smell the ocean air. James had Apparated onto a beach, taking her with him. Lily quickly pulled away and began to reprimand him. "James! We're the Heads of the school! We're not supposed to be off school grounds; it's against the rules. And what if a Muggle saw us Apparage? We could get in trouble with the Ministry!"

James laughed and said, "Relax, Lils, we're not going to get into trouble. The Marauders and I have been off school grounds loads of times; we're experts at not getting caught. Just try an enjoy yourself. You said the beach was your favorite place."

Lily looked out at the sand shore which stretched out in front of her. She longed to take her shoes off and feel the sand beneath her toes. After all, what could it hurt? She and James would be back in plenty of time to patrol the corridors. Slowly, she bent down and began to unlace her shoes. "I thought you'd come around eventually," James commented. Lily glanced up at him. He had already removed his shoes and had them slung over his shoulder. He was no longer wearing his robes; Lily assumed he had discarded them in the tunnel. Now, he was wearing Muggle clothing which looked a good deal more normal than some of the Muggle clothing she had seen other wizards don.

"I don't have any other clothes," Lily realized suddenly.

"I anticipated that." James pulled a set of clothes out of the bag he was carrying and tossed them to her. "Tina got these out of your room for me. Put them on. Don't worry, I'll put a cloaking spell around you." Feeling extremely self-conscious, Lily changed quickly, hoping James really had performed the spell. A couple walked by, hand-in-hand, but they did not even glance Lily's way. Soon, she finished changing, and James, after checking to ensure that no one was watching them, disabled the cloaking spell. He stored Lily's robes and shoes in his bag, and the two began to slowly stroll down the beach, enjoying the cool ocean breeze. As they walked, Lily felt all the stress of the week start to slide away; she forgot about the mountain of homework and the Head duties which awaited her. The lapping waves and sounds of the seagulls soothed her; she found herself remembering all the wonderful times she had spent at the beach. Just as she was reliving a particularly fond memory, a spray of cold water hit her, jarring her from her daydream. Glancing around, she saw James standing in the water with a smirk on his face. Again, he kicked his foot, splashing water onto her shirt. Lily sighed; he often acted like a small child. When the third stream of water hit her, she deemed it time to retaliate. A water fight ensued, lasting for twenty minutes until they were both drenched from head to toe. Laughing, Lily stepped out of the water and began to wring out her hair. James watched wearing an odd expression. "Have I ever told you how beautiful you are?" he finally inquired.

"James. . ." With one stride, he reached her side and pulled her to him. The kiss was long and deeply passionate, arousing many strong emotions within Lily. Lily did not notice the critical looks many people shot them as they walked past, nor would she have cared if she did. When they finally pulled apart, James had a smile on his face.

"I'm glad McGonagall's not here," he said.

After about an hour of walking, the sky had begun to darken. No person had passed James and Lily for at least fifteen minutes, indicating the lateness of the hour and their distance from major habitation. Ahead of the two lay a small rocky crag which jutted out into the ocean. For a fleeting second, Lily imagined she saw a figure on the edge, but when she looked a second time, it had disappeared. Suddenly, another memory, one that Lily had been trying to block out for a long time, came to the surface of Lily's mind. She was vaguely aware of James telling her they needed to turn back, but another voice drowned him out. It was the voice of a young girl, a young girl Lily remembered well.

"Come on, I did my dare. No it's your turn," the young Lily taunted. Her friend, a small girl of nine, turned to face her. Her brown curls framed a delicate face which was milky white at the moment. However, her eyes had a fierce determination in them.

"Fine then. I'll do it." The young girl turned to the steep cliff in front of her and took a deep breath before beginning her ascent. The climb was long and arduous, even for an adult, but the small girl did not want to appear a coward in front of her best friend. Slowly but surely, the top grew nearer. When the girl finally reached the top, she scrambled up, and nine-year-old Lily gave a cheer. The girl basked in her friend's applause, bowing ostentatiously.

Unfortunately, she failed to realize how close to the edge of the cliff she was. As she stepped backward, the rock under her foot crumbled and splashed into the water below. The girl on top of the cliff stumbled and fell backwards, her hands groping for the edge of the cliff. Screaming, the young Lily raced towards the spot where her friend had fallen. Seventeen-year-old Lily also began to scream as she once again watched her best friend tumble over backward, her head slamming against the cliff. The older Lily tried to avert her eyes; she knew what occurred next and had no desire to relive it. Unfortunately, it seemed as if the picture was glued to her eyelids; she could not turn away from it. In slow motion, the small body fell toward the ground, finally landing with a sickening thud. A recognizable voice broke through the screams still reverberating around Lily's head, ending the flashback.

"Lily!" James called. "Lils, come on, wake up!" Slowly, Lily opened her eyes and stared up into his face. His face was abnormally pale, and Lily could feel his hands trembling slightly. Slowly, she sat up and wrapped her arms around herself. The night was unusually cold; Lily was chilled to the bone. An empty loneliness filled Lily as she glanced around nervously. She did not remember feeling the intense cold before her flashback; perhaps she was still feeling residual effects from the awful memory. James seemed nervous; he continued to scan the area surrounding them. His face, too, had lost its happiness and now seemed taut and worried.

"Something's not right here," he said suddenly. "We've got to go. Do you feel up to Apparating, or do you want me to help?"

"I can do it." Shakily, Lily rose to her feet, pulling her wand from her pocket. James had already drawn his.

"Ready?" he inquired. She nodded. "Let's go then." Concentrating on her destination, Lily stepped to the side and felt the familiar tug again. Soon, she found herself back in the dark tunnel with James at her side. Wordlessly, he grabbed her head and began to stride quickly toward the castle.

"Where are we going?" Lily questioned. Her heart was beginning to slow to a normal rate, and the empty feeling started to fade.

"Dumbledore's office."

"Why? What was going on out there?"

"I don't know, but it wasn't good. What did you see, anyway? You were screaming like a madman."

"I saw the day of my best friend's death," Lily said quietly.

James stopped suddenly. "I know what happened," he said.

"What?"

"Dementors."

"On a Muggle beach? Impossible. They're at Azkaban."

"Maybe they are no longer in Ministry control."

"Why would they go to a Muggle beach?"

"Plenty of happy people to feed on."

"Not at night." Lily gasped. "What if someone else is controlling them?"

"Who?"

"Voldemort."

"I guess it's a possibility, but why would he send them to a Muggle beach? We were the only wizards in miles!"

"Exactly."

"They weren't coming after us, Lils."

"How can you be so sure?"

"Why would Voldemort want to kill us? Why would anyone want to kill us? It just doesn't make sense!"

"To us at least." After this statement, Lily turned and headed back to Hogwarts, refusing to speak another word. Shaking his head, James followed. When the two emerged into the corridor, Lily sensed that something was wrong. Although she did not notice anything out of the ordinary, she could not shake the feeling. As they jogged down the hallway, every noise seemed to be amplified until it became almost defeaning to Lily. Each shadow on the wall took on an eerie form. She gripped James's hand tightly, and he turned to her with concern. Forcing her face to remain calm, she managed to smile. He opened his mouth to ask her about her troubles, but another voice spoke before he could do so.

"If it isn't the two lovebirds," drawled a voice Lily recognized well. It was full of spite and malice. Spinning around quickly, Lily found herself face to face with Jacob Zander and seven other burly Slytherins. This time, it was James's hand which tightened on hers.

"What do you want, Zander?" James spat.

"Tut-tut, Potter. You need to learn some manners. Crucio!" Before he could finish the spell, James had sprung into action. With a wave of his wand, he caused the statue to his right to topple to the ground. As it fell, he dove behind it, dragging Lily with him. He landed on top of Lily, knocking the breath out of her.

"Sorry about that," he muttered, raising himself to his elbows. Lily looked into his eyes which stared at her with an intensity that seemed to penetrate straight to her soul. Her eyes locked on his, and he held her gaze for a couple seconds before the sound of a curse hitting the stone statue drug him back to reality. "I have no idea how this will turn out," he whispered urgently. "But I'm not just going to lie here and play hide-and-go-seek. So before I go, I want you to know one thing. I love you, Lily. I always have and I always will." With that, he lowered his head and locked his lips onto hers.

Lily felt a deep passion run through her body as she eagerly returned the kiss. Time was running short, she knew. The kiss could not continue indefinitely. Fate was toying with her mercilessly; it gave her James and all the wonderful times they had together only to yank him back when she grew attached. There was so much she had not done, so much she had not said. She needed more time—infinitely more time. Yet time was what she did not have. Neither she nor James could die without a fight, submitting to Jacob's will. It was not in their nature. At that moment, however, Lily wished it was. Dying in James's arms would be an ideal way to go.

In a few short seconds, James pulled away. He smiled sadly at her. "Don't you dare say goodbye," Lily whispered, attempting to remain optimistic.

"I wasn't going to," he assured her. "I was merely going to tell you what a wonderful kisser you are."

"Thank you. And James." Lily paused for a brief moment. Love was a giant step for her. It was something she had never considered before. And yet, she had no doubt in her mind that she loved James. "I love you, too."

A huge smile spread across James's face. He held out his hand, and she took it in hers, entwining her fingers with his. As one, the two stood up, side-by-side, ready to face anything their attackers threw their way. No adversary seemed too great nor any obstacle too large to overcome. Amor omnia vincit.

Curses began flying as soon as James's and Lily's heads emerged over the top of the statue. A quick shield charm conjured by Lily deflected most of them. One attacker fell victim to a well-aimed stunning charm by James. Yet the odds remained seven-to-two, and James knew they were fighting a losing battle. He was bleeding profusely from one arm which had been hit with a Sectumsempra curse. Lily had been hit by a silencing charm, forcing her to resort to nonverbal spells. The shield she conjured was growing weaker, and more curses began to pass through. Lily managed to stun another one of the attackers, but the other six continued to fight unfazed. They circled closer, surrounding James and Lily. Lily pressed closer to James, and he grabbed the hand he had let fall when the fighting began. Another attacker went down, yet the remaining five still vastly outnumbered Lily and James. Knowing his last moments had come, James looked to Lily. She met his eyes and began to move her mouth. Although no words came out, her meaning was clear. "I love you," she mouthed.

"I love you, too." With these words, James turned to face death with a smile.


	9. Chapter 9

Death, however, never arrived. The Slytherins turned suddenly, staring at something behind Jaems. Then, as one, they all turned and fled. Quickly, James spun around and saw Dumbledore. He had not raised his wand, but his imposing figure emanated a power that sent a shiver down James's spine. He had heard that Dumbledore was not the man to cross, but he had not realized how much anger could exist in his piercing blue eyes. He stared after Jacob with a look on his face that James had never seen before. Although it had some anger, it also seemed deeply sad. Instead of following the five retreating backs, however, Dumbledore turned to Lily and James and said a single word. "Come." Wordlessly, they obeyed.

Dumbledore led them silently down the corridors. Blood still poured from James's wound; he tried unsuccessfully to staunch the flow with his robes. Seeing his predicament, Lily attempted a healing charm; however, the wound remained open. Beginning to feel dizzy, James was grateful when they reached Dumbledore's office. Dumbledore strode to his desk and sat in the chair behind it, facing the two teenagers. Noticing James's arm, he rose to his feet again and walked to his side. "I'm sorry about that," he apologized, closing the wound. Gratefully, James let his blood-stained robes fall to the ground. When Dumbledore seated himself once more, he said gravely, "I need you two to tell me everything that happened tonight."

Immediately, Lily began her tale, omitting a few details which she knew had no bearing on the attack. James added a few comments of his own. When they finished the story, Dumbledore began pacing across his office muttering to himself. "Can you think of anyone who would like to hurt you?" he questioned.

"None with the power to send dementors after us," James answered.

"I was afraid of that."

"Why?" Lily asked, apprehensively.

Dumbledore peered at her over his half-moon spectacle.s "There's only one wizard right no powerful enough and willing to take dementors out of ministry control."

Lily turned to James and said, "Voldemort."

"But why kill us?" James inquired.

Dumbledore shifted his gaze to James who unconsciously stood straighter. "You two are two of the finest students I have seen go through this school. Separate, you are powerful, yet together, you are virtually unstoppable. Voldemort realized this and decided to eliminate you before you become a serious threat."

"But we haven't even graduated yet!"

"But you will sooner than you think. And when you do, you will likely become two of the most powerful wizards in the world. I've watched you grow up, and I've seen your potential. I know both of you will do great things. But make sure to always stick together. Sometimes, the bonds of love can have more power than any spell." Lily and James exchanged glances as he said this. James took her hand in his own, squeezing it gently. "I wish you both the best of luck. And remember, my door is always open."

As they walked out of Dumbledore's office, Lily turned to James. "What you said tonight. Was it just heat of the moment?"

"I meant every word," James assured her.

"Good." She turned to him with a smile. "Because I did, too."

As December descended on the castle, the biting wind became stronger, and snow continued to pile up. Only the large fires kept classroom temperatures bearable. Teachers began to decorate for Christmas, placing a dozen large trees in the Great Hall. Students eagerly awaited the winter holidays when they would have a reprieve from their hectic schedules. One Friday night, the Marauders, Tina, Julie, and Lily sat in the common room talking. Lily sat on James's lap in an armchair, pulling the blanket which covered her tighter around her. Frost formed beautiful, intricate patterns along the edge of the window, framing the winter wonderland outside. "Last Hogsmeade weekend of the term's tomorrow," James announced. He wrapped his arms around Lily, and she was grateful for their comfort and warmth.

"Sorry, mate, can't go with you," Sirius said. "I'm already going with Jen." He skillfully avoided the pillow which James threw.

"Funny, Padfoot, but I'm perfectly happy with my date." He pulled Lily tighter and kissed her cheek. Five pillows colliding with his head stopped him from going further.

"Not on my watch," Sirius told him.

"Then leave," James said before giving Lily a long, lingering kiss. Sirius remained in his seat. He motioned to Remus who nodded. They both pulled out their wands and muttered, "Engorgio." Immediately, Jaems and Lily pulled apart, and James launched himself at his friends. His tongue was steadily growing larger until he could no longer fit it in his mouth. Lily was having a similar problem. The other five friends continued to laugh uproariously, pausing briefly to make humorous and—on Sirius's part—inappropriate comments.

Lily awoke bright and early on Saturday morning to prepare for her date to Hogsmeade. She met James at breakfast, and the two left together. Once in the village, James allowed Lily to decide their first stop. To tease him, Lily announced that she wanted to go to Madame Puddifoot's Tea Shoppe. James's face fell as he heard this. "Okay," he conceded reluctantly. "You're going to have to show me where that is."

Laughing at the expression on his face, Lily kissed him. "I'm kidding. Let's go to the Three Broomsticks."

Relief spread over James's face. He led the way, putting his arm around Lily's shoulders to keep her warm. "My parents invited you to our house for Christmas holidays," he told her.

Lily laughed. "Mine, too."

"Well, how about this? We'll spend the first week at my house, and you'll go home on Christmas Eve. I'll come to your house the day after Christmas, and we'll spend the second week there."

"Sounds like a good plan. I'll tell my parents."

"I'll do the same. Unfortunately, there's one flaw in our brilliant plan."

"What's that?"

"We'll have to spend two whole days apart!" Lily laughed as he brought his mouth to hers. "Maybe we should go somewhere more private than the Three Broomsticks," he muttered.

"I'm freezing. Let's just go in for a bit. Maybe then we can go somewhere else."

"Okay." James opened the door for her, and the two carefully maneuvered around the large crowd of students to a small table in the back. James left to buy drinks, and Lily began to observe the crowd surrounding her. Out of the corner of her eye, she saw a figure slide into the chair across from her.

"No one wants to go out with you, Mudblood?" a jeering voice questioned.

"For your information, Snape," Lily said, turning to face him. "I am here on a date."

"Oh, right. I forgot about Potter the Mudblood-lover. Where has your faithful little dog gone to? Is he fetching something for you?"

"He's actually-"

"Right here." James stepped out of the crowd and set the butterbeers he was carrying on the table. "You harassing my girlfriend, Snivellus?"

"You mean this filthy, Mudblood?" As Snape finished the sentence, James was storming forward. With a wave of his wand, he sent Snape flying backward until he was pinned against the wall.

"I told you never to call Lily that again!" James spat, advancing on Snape whose eyes were beginning to show fear.

"James, no!" Lily grabbed his arm to stop him, but he shook her off. When he reached Snape, James flicked his wand, and the pressure on Snape's chest released. He fell to his knees, dropping his wnad.

"Pick up your wand and stand up," James commented.

"Why?" Since he had averted danger for the moment, Snape grew bolder. He stared up at James defiantly.

"Because I don't want to kill you when you can't defend yourself. Now, pick it up!" James waved his wand threateningly, and Snape scrambled to find his own. He rose slowly to his feet, facing James with a malevolent smile. A crowd had gathered to watch the fight.

"James, you're the Head Boy," Lily hissed in his ear. "You cannot go around starting duels. Put your wand down." James ignored her again, and she caught his attention in the only way she could. The crowd wolf-whistled and giggled as she pulled his mouth to hers. With James's attention elsewhere, Snape attempted to hear him. Unfortunately, he hit Lily who fell to the ground in a full-body bind. Almost instantly, James had flicked his wand and lifted Snape into the air. He hung upside down with his robes falling over his face despite his attempts to keep them in place. "Scourgify!" James called, causing bubbles to escape from Snape's mouth. Another wave of James's wand caused Snape to flip over and begin spinning through the air like a ballerina. The crowd roared with laughter as Snape did a flip before continuing his dizzying spinning. After a minute or so, James left Snape floating near the ceiling and performed the countercurse on Lily who immediately began to reprimand him. He stopped her ceaseless chastising in the same way she had earlier stopped him. The crowd applauded loudly before beginning to disperse.

As James kissed her, Lily forgot where she was and the circumstances surrounding the kiss. Snape began to beg to be let down; however, his entreaties fell on deaf ears. Slowly, without taking his lips from hers, James led Lily out a half-concealed back door into an alley. He gently pressed her against the wall of the Three Broomsticks and began to move his lips downward onto her neck. At the same time, his hands moved upward, under her shirt. Lily knew where he was headed, and her judgment told her to pull back before she went too far. Yet her heart was stronger, and she remained where she was, enjoying the sensation created as his hands moved steadily upward. Soon, he pushed her bra away and began to caress her entire body. As his hands came up to pull her shirt over her head, judgment finally emerged victorious, and Lily pulled away. "Not here," she told him, adjusting her clothes.

"Okay," he agreed. "We'll go back to our common room. It's comfortable and private."

"No, I mean not _now_. We've been dating less than a month! And we're only seventeen! That's a huge step."

"Lily, I love you. I want to be with you forever."

"I feel the same, but I'm not ready to have sex yet. I don't think you are either."

"How will I know when we are?"

"Believe me, you'll know."

The following weekend brought the Christmas holidays. Lily sat in her room trying to decide what to take James's house. All of the Muggle clothing she had brought to Hogwarts lay on the bed in front of her. As she was deliberating over a particularly low-cut shirt, James walked into the room. "I definitely approve," he said, examining her outfit.

"James! How did you get in here?"

"Easy. I pulled myself up the banister. You almost finished packing?"

"Yeah. Give me five minutes."

"I'll help." He waved his wand and all the clothes on her bed folded themselves neatly into her suitcase. Unfortunately, the shirt she was wearing did the same.

"James!" Lily shouted, grabbing a shirt and pulling it over her head.

"Sorry. Couldn't resist." Ducking the pillow she threw, he exited the room and slid to the common room. With a wave of his wand, he levitated her trunk down next to him. Lily stood at the top of the slide, glaring down at him. "I said I'm sorry!" he called to her. "I promise I will never again undress you. Without your permission, of course."

Sighing, Lily slid down, springing to her feet directly in front of him. "I want that in writing," she told him.

"No problem." With a smile, he kissed her before levitating both trunks and leading the way out the door.

The two had decided to Apparate, so they only had to walk off school grounds. The wind whipped Lily's hair around as she and James walked toward the gates. He placed his arm around her shoulders and pulled her to his side. She snuggled against him to keep warm. As they exited through the gates, James stopped and grabbed their luggage. "Ready?" he asked.

"Of course." Lily stepped once more into the odd limbo experienced during Apparition. However, she remained for only a brief moment before her feet found solid ground. She was standing on a huge, sloping lawn which led upward to an enormous mansion. Lily felt her jaw drop. "You live here?" she asked.

"If I remember correctly," James answered jokingly. "Come on. Let's go meet the parents. They've been dying to see you." Grabbing her hand, he led her up to the large, ornate front doors. Although the house was obviously over one hundred years old, it was in nearly perfect condition. It seemed almost magical (and likely was). "Watch this." James tapped on the door with his wand and said, "It's me." Immediately, the door swung open to reveal a large foyer. An enormous spiral staircase led to a dark upstairs hallway. Even from her vantage point just inside the door, Lily could see obvious signs of the house's magical occupants. As usual, the portraits on the wall were moving. Peering at the nearest one, Lily saw a family of three. The two adults were sitting calmly in the back, moving every once in awhile to scratch their head or adjust their position. The child in front, however, refused to be calm. He continued to bounce around, rendering it nearly impossible for Lily to observe his facial features. "Family portrait," James explained, noting the direction of her gaze.

"You were a rather rambunctious kid."

"My parents used to hate that." Setting the trunks in the corner, James led the way into the kitchen. Lily surveyed the room interestedly in the sink, breakfast dishes washed themselves. More moving pictures hung on the walls, and clothes folded themselves neatly into a basket. Despite her fascination with the magic surrounding her, Lily's eyes were drawn to the two people sitting at the table in the center of the room who were obviously James's parents. His father had the same messy brown hair although his was streaked with grey. He also had James's hazel eyes and tall, muscular frame. James's mother was more petite with blonde hair and hazel eyes. Her delicate facial features and high cheekbones had not yet been touched by wrinkles, and Lily noticed immediately that she was very beautiful.

Both James's parents smiled at Lily as James introduced her. His father shook her hand in greeting, and his mother pulled her into a tight embrace. Her clasp was surprisingly strong for a woman of her size. "It's great to have you here," Mrs. Potter told her. "You must be very special. You're the first girl that James has brought home."

"Really?" Lily glanced at James whose ears had begun to redden. She rarely had a chance to see him embarrassed and decided to relish this one. "I never really felt that special. I thought a handsome boy like James would have hundreds of girls to bring home."

"I thought the same thing. But I was surprised when-"

"We should get our trunks up to our rooms and begin unpacking," James declared loudly. The crimson color had now spread to his cheeks. "We'll see you guys in a bit." Lily followed him out, suppressing her laughter with difficulty. "You enjoyed that, didn't you?" he asked once they were alone in the foyer.

"Immensely."

"You have a rather perverse sense of humor, Evans." The sound of her last name caused Lily to pause before responding. James had not called her "Evans" since they began going out. Back then, he had used her last name as a derogatory term, and she had called him Potter for the same reason. Now, however, his tone of voice as he pronounced her last name seemed entirely different. It seemed to be filled with love and fond remembrance of their first years together.

James, too, was confused. Why had he used that name? He had used Evans to insult her in the past. He certainly had no desire to insult Lily now; he loved her. Yet the word seemed different now, less hostile and disparaging. Lily's small smile indicated that she, too, realized the connotations of the name had changed. Slowly, he leaned forward and kissed her, pulling back quickly lest his parents come in.

"I'd have to say the same about your sense of humor, James Potter," Lily told him.

"Touché."

When Lily entered the kitchen the following morning, she found James already dressed and eating breakfast. "Sirius is coming today," he announced. "We thought we'd all go flying for a bit."

"I don't have a broomstick," Lily said quickly. She was an awful flyer, having fallen off her broomstick every time her feet left the ground. However, she did not want to reveal this information to James.

"Don't worry, I have plenty," he assured her, rising to her feet. "I'll see you in a bit."

Lily ate quickly, hoping to finish before Sirius arrived. She had resigned herself to telling James she could not fly; however, she hoped Sirius would not find out, too. He would never let her forget it. As Lily bounded up the steps, she heard voices in James's room. She immediately identified one of them as belonging to James, and the other did not take long to recognize. How did Sirius already arrive? Surely Lily had not missed him coming in, especially when Lily had kept a vigilant watch on the front door for all of breakfast. Yet Sirius's voice was unmistakable. Overcome with curiosity, Lily knocked once on the door and entered before anyone answered.

James sat on his bed talking into what appeared to be a handheld mirror. He looked up at Lily and motioned her over. As she drew closer, she saw Sirius's face peering up from the dirty, chipped glass. He was still talking, and James kept his eyes trained on him, automatically putting his arm around Lily's shoulders. "We'll see you in a bit then, Padfoot," James finally said. Sirius nodded and disappeared. James turned to Lily. "Two-way mirrors," he explained. "Wonderful tools during separate detentions." Lily rolled her eyes, and he pulled her closer, kissing her cheek. "Anyway, Sirius's mum is being her usual self, so he's going to be a bit late. We can get started though."

The last sentence jarred Lily back to reality. "James, I hate flying. And I'm horrid at it, too. Can't we just do something else?"

"You're not going to get out of this so easily. Come on, I'll teach you."

"But I'll look like an idiot."

"I don't care. I'll still love you."

"Yes, well, Sirius will never let me live it down."

"By the time he gets here, you'll be amazing."

"But James-" He once more stopped her mouth with his. He really enjoyed this means of interruption. He loved having her body close to his, warm and comfortable in his arms. Even now, he marveled at his wonderful fortune. He never thought that he, James Potter, would b kissing Lily Evans (with her willingly—and eagerly—returning the kiss). It was all he ha ever imagined and more—much more. James hoped it could last forever.

Eventually, the two broke apart, and James picked up two nearby broomsticks, tossing one to Lily "It's time for your lesson."

Apprehensions squeezed Lily's insides as she walked through the forest behind James's house. When they finally reached a clearing, Jams performed a Disillusionment charm on himself and Lily. Icy shivers cascaded down her spine as the spell took effect. Slowly, Lily's body changed tint until it matched the background perfectly. "Now," James began, "you grip the broom tightly and push off with your feet, bending your knees slightly. Don't push too hard; you don't want to go up too high."

"What happens if I fall off?"

"I'll catch you."

"You can't see me."

"Sure I can." To prove his point, James strode to Lily's side and pulled her mouth to his. It took nearly five minutes for James to pull back. "The eyes of love see all," he said before continuing his lesson.

It took James a full ten minutes to convince Lily to kick off. Hr progress upward was shaky, and she fell off her broom about twenty feet above the ground. Her eyes snapped shut as she braced herself for the impact which never came. Cautiously opening her eyelids, she found that she was hovering a couple feet above the ground supported by James's arms. After a brief interlude (James was right—the eyes of love could see the seemingly invisible), the lesson continued. It took three more falls before Lily finally began to fly reasonably well. Lily soon started to enjoy herself as she soared over the treetops, her hair billowing behind her like exhaust from an airplane. She finally understood why James enjoyed flying so much. It was truly exhilarating to be so far above the rest of the world and to leave her troubles and worries on the ground one hundred feet below her.James watched Lily as she circled the treetops overhead. She as much better now; he doubted he would have to catch her as she fell again. Still, he fond it best to be cautious. Keeping his eyes trained on Lily, he rocketed upward to join her. When he reached her side, he motioned for her to come to him. She tried; however, she was still having trouble with turns. James decided they could fix that later.

Sirius found James and Lily snogging fiercely in one of the trees. He cleared his throat loudly, and the two pulled apart suddenly. Sirius noticed James's hands come out from Lily's shirt and reach out to steady her before she fell. He raised his eyebrows questioningly. James, realizing his best friend and (thankfully) not his parents ha been the interrupter, said "I'd appreciate a little privacy."

"You've had more than three hours of it," Sirius pointed out. "Now, let's play some Quidditch!"

"Quidditch?" Lily asked. She was still shaky on a broom, ad she doubted whether she could fly and toss a ball around. "Don't we need more people?"

"Well, Moony and Wormtail should be here soon. With them and a few of the neighbors who usually play with us, we should have plenty of people for teams. We don't need Seekers or Beaters. Just Chasers and Keepers."

"Wonderful." Lily thought the idea was anything but wonderful. When she fell off her broom (it was inevitable that she would), all of the Marauders and James's neighbors would be there to watch. It was far from her idea of fun.

Peter and Remus soon arrived along with three people Lily had never met before. The youngest, who introduced himself as Aaron, looked to be about fifteen; he was a small, wiry boy with white-blond curls. He seemed wary of the others who were all (with the exception of Peter) much taller than he was A second boy about Lily's own age wore a dark scowl as he glanced at the group surrounding him. His large bushy eyebrows grew together over his black, hawk-like eyes and unusually large nose. He was built for the position of Beater with thick, muscular arms and torso. Lily later learned that his name was Drew.

The last player surprised Lily the most, for she was the only girl in the bunch besides Lily herself. Her sleek, brown hair was pulled back into a long ponytail. Her facial features were delicate and beautiful, and Lily noted that many of the guys were practically drooling over her. Her body was nicely rounded, and she seemed to be much more in shape than Lily. A shiny new broom and nice clothes clearly indicated her parents' affluence. Jealousy tore at Lily' insides as the newcomer ran to James and wrapped her arm tightly around him. He hugged her back (a little two eager, Lily thought) as she exclaimed over how much she had missed him.

James saw Janice Colton walking toward him with the others, and his eyes began to search for a means of escape. But it was too late. She had already seen him and was running toward him. Before he knew what was happening, she had wrapped her arms tightly around him. Not wanting to seem rude, he reluctantly returned the hug although his eyes sought out Lily's face. He caught a glimpse of it filled with hurt and rage before she turned away. Extracting himself from Janice's grip, he jogged over to explain; however, Sirius had already announced that Lily and Janice were team captains and called them over. Janice picked first, and James was forced to join her team. He attempted to catch Lily's eye to explain or at least apologize, yet she avoided his gaze determinedly. Sadly, James kicked off.

The anger that coursed through Lily's veins seemed to vastly improve her flying ability. She kicked off flawlessly and soared through the air before leveling off near her teammates. The other team took possession of the Quaffle first, and Lily watched James rocket down the field with it. He threw it toward the goal, and it soared by nearly three feet outside the hoop. Lily stared in shock. James had never missed a shot that easy before; he was too good. And yet the ball had come nowhere near the hoop.

In the next ten minutes, James missed three additional shots he should have made. His flying was also more erratic, and he only caught half the passes his teammates made to him. On the other hand, Janice flew extraordinarily well, much better than Lily herself. In ten minutes, she had scored four goals and made one spectacular interception. With a jerking feeling in her stomach, Lily thought, _'She's perfect for him: great Quidditch player, beautiful, and I bet she's smart and funny, too.' _Janice certainly seemed to share Lily's opinion. She continued to hang around James and would hug him whenever she scored. Lily felt sick.

Since Lily's attention was focused on Janice and James, she did not notice the Quaffle sailing toward her until it hit her shoulder, sending a stinging pain down her arm. Without thinking, Lily raised her other hand to rub her aching shoulder. Because she was still a bit unsteady on the broom, removing both her hands caused her to tip sideways. She tried to regain her balance to no avail; her feet slipped off, and she began to fall toward the unyielding ground. James was no longer there to save her; he was too busy with Janice. _'At least they'll both be happier this way,' _Lily thought, bracing herself for the impact.


	10. Chapter 10

James's eyes had followed Lily through most of the game. His obvious lack of attention toward Janice had caused her to begin sulking and pouting, but James didn't care. He had eyes only for Lily. When he saw the Quaffle hit her arm, he knew what was coming and reacted instinctively. But she was too far away and falling too fast; he would never make it in time. He could not reach his wand; it would slow him down too much, and he could not remember the exact spell which would slow her descent. He needed to move faster. Bending his head, he managed to increase his speed slightly. Everything seemed to be moving in slow motion, but he cared about nothing but the falling figure which was rapidly approaching. A sudden burst of speed brought him directly under Lily, and he caught her in his arms with a sigh of relief. He expertly guided his broom to the ground with his legs and landed lightly.

As soon as he stopped, Lily struggled out of his arms and onto her feet. She turned to storm away, but he caught her arm. "Let go of me and go back to Janice," she told him angrily, attempting to twist her arm out of his grip. He held firm, however, and stepped off his broom. Her eyes seemed consumed with rage. He remembered that look well. It was the same look she had on that night Sirius had nearly killed Snape. Thoughts of that fateful night came flooding back, and James instinctively pulled her to him once more. She struggled briefly before passion took over, and she eagerly returned the kiss. He pulled back after a few seconds and looked at the others who were hovering above, watching the scene unfold. "We'll be back in a bit. Continue without us," he called. As they walked into the forest, the others shook their heads and began to fly back into position for the game. Janice, however, broke off from the others and followed James and Lily into the forest.

After walking for about five minutes, James sat on a stump and pulled Lily onto his lap. He wrapped his arms tightly around her and said, "I guess you want an explanation."

"It's okay," Lily assured him. "I understand now that nothing's going on. I'm sorry I got so jealous."

"No, I want to explain. You see, my parents have been good friends with Janice's parents since before I was born. Awhile back, Janice's parents decided that I would make the perfect husband for Janice, and she agreed. My parents had no objections to the match. I think I was the only one who did not like it. Since then, they've been pushing us together whenever they can. I've told them I don't want to marry Janice, but they're quite persistent."

"Your parents didn't seem upset that I was your girlfriend and not Janice."

"Yes, well, they don't think our relationship's going to last that long. They still hold onto the naïve belief that Janice and I will eventually get together."

"Why don't you want to? She seemed perfect for you. She's beautiful _and_ a good Quidditch player."

"And those are her only two attributes. I want someone who's funny, kind, smart, has a good personality, modest. . . I want you, Lily. I love you with all my heart, and no one else can ever replace you. I want to be with you forever."

"Forever? As in marriage forever?"

"Once we get a bit older, sure. I love you, Lily Evans. I always have, and I always will." With that, he brought his lips to hers and pulled her close to him.

The following night, the Potters and Lily visited Janice's house for dinner at her parents' request. James knew the dinner was merely another chance for the Coltons to persuade James to date their daughter, and he was determined to resist their efforts. When they arrived, the Coltons ushered the four into the dining room, directing them to their seats. As he had expected, James was sitting next to Janice while Lily had a seat next to Janice's younger sister, Chelsey, at the opposite end of the table. Immediately, James inquired, "Can I switch seats with you, Chelsey? I like that side of the table better." Chelsey, who had always been in awe of James, immediately agreed, and James took a seat next to Lily with a smile. The Coltons frowned but saw no way around the new development.

"You could have stayed where you were. It's not like they're forcing you to marry the person you're sitting next to," Lily told him.

"Ah, but then I couldn't have done this." James reached under the table and squeezed Lily's knee. She jumped slightly before beginning to reprimand him under her breath.

"So, your last name is Evans, correct?" Mr. Colton asked Lily.

"Yes, sir," she answered.

"Funny. I don't recognize the name Evans, and I know most prominent wizards."

"My parents are Muggles," Lily explained.

"Oh, really. How nice." Mr. Colton exchanged a look with his wife which clearly showed he thought Lily's heritage was anything ut ice. James decided it was time to intervene.

"Lily makes top marks in everything, Mr. Colton. She's top of the class," James said.

"I wouldn't go that far," Lily said.

"You're just too modest to admit it," James told her. "She got seven O's on her O.W.L.'s."

"Really? Are you taking N.E.W.T.'s this year?"

"Yes, sir," Lily answered. "I'm taking eight."

"Well, that's a lot. Our Janice here is taking eight, too."

"Really?"

Mr. Colton glanced nervously at his wife before continuing. "Well, not quite eight. Actually, three. But they're very hard."

"Which ones are they?" Lily asked.

"Herbology, Divination, and Muggle Studies," Janice answered proudly.

"Those are diffieult," Lily said, attempting to keep the sarcasm from her voice. James wisely held his tongue, for it would have been impossible for him to refrain from being sarcastic. "What school do you go to again?"

"Slaketon. It's up north," Janice told her.

"In my opinion, it's the best wizarding school in Britain," Mr. Colton declared. "Hogwarts is a close second, of course."

"Of course," James said, his voice dripping sarcasm. Mr. Colton appeared not to notice; however, Lily glared at James. He merely gave her his childish grin and grabbed her hand under the table. "Couldn't help it," he muttered under his breath. His fingers slowly caressed hers, tracing each one. "I love you."

"I love you, too," she told him.

"I'm sorry about putting you through this. Whenever you want to leave, just say so."

"It's okay. I can handle it."

"Sometimes, I think you have more guts than I do."

"Impossible."

For the remainder of dinner, Mr. Colton continued to enumerate his daughter's good qualities. When Lily excused herself to use the restroom halfway through the meal, James followed. He met her in the hallway where she was slowly taking deep breaths. "I told you they'd get to you," James said as he joined her. "We can always leave if you like. The door is right over there."

"No. We need to stick this out."

"Suit yourself. Before we go back in there, though, how about a little pick-me-up?" He brought his lips down on hers, and his hands slowly traced the small of her back. Before he could move them up any further, Lily pulled away. "Anybody can walk through. Wait until we have more privacy."

"If I must."

Lily saw the raised eyebrows when she and James returned together, but she ignored them and took her seat. It took less than a minute for Mr. Colton to recover and begin praising his daughter once more. "I think you and she would make a great couple, James. Don't you?" he said after a couple minutes. As he said this, James suddenly snapped.

"Haven't you figured out by now, Mr. Colton, that I am not interested in your daughter? I do not want to date her, and I certainly have no desire to marry her. I'm in a wonderful relationship with Lily, the girl I love whole-heartedly. Yes, I said love. Now, if you'll excuse us, I think we should leave before I do something I'll regret." He grabbed Lily's hand and pulled her with him out the door, heedless of his parents' shouts. When he was finally outside, he was breathing heavily, trying desperately to control his rage. "I apologize for everything," he told ily. "I know you wanted to tough it out, but I couldn't stand to sit there and watch them act as if you were invisible." He stepped closer to her. "You mean the world to me, Lily Evans."

"They're coming out," Lily muttered as he leaned toward her.

"Let them." James closed the small gap between their lips as the door opened forcefully.

All too soon, it was time for Lily to go home. "I'll see you again in two days," she reminded James as he said his goodbyes.

"That's a long time," he told her. "I don't' know if I'll last that long."

"Oh, come off it. You're being silly." Although she told him this, Lily understood his feelings perfectly. She was very reluctant to pull away from his embrace. "Two days," she reminded him, blowing him a kiss. With that, she was gone.

For the following two days, James sulked around his house, counting the minutes until his visit to the Evans's. Christmas was not nearly as enjoyable without Lily. When the morning of December 26 finally arrived, he said a quick goodbye to his parent before grabbing his trunk and coat and Apparating into Lily's backyard. She was waiting for him; the door opened as soon as he appeared, and Lily rushed out to greet him. He dropped his trunk and spread his arms wide as she grabbed his neck. His mouth soon found hers, and the two eagerly kissed as if tomorrow would never come. A figure appeared at the doorway, and James felt something hard collide with the back of his skull. He looked up to see a short, plump woman brandishing a broomstick. She was wearing an apron with a large, red stain across the front and seemed quite motherly in appearance—except for her eyes which shot daggers at James. "Get away from her!" she shouted, swinging her broomsticks again.

Lily grabbed the end of the broom and said, "Mum, this is James. Remember, I told you he'd be coming today."

"Oh, right." Mrs. Evans' face suddenly became much more pleasant and less demonic. "I'm sorry. I completely forgot. I hope I didn't hurt you, dear. Please come in and sit down. You can have some leftovers from breakfast."

"Thank you. I'd enjoy that." Mrs. Evans led him to a spotless kitchen where the remains of breakfast still sat on the stove. She quickly filled a plate with bacon, eggs, and toast before placing it in front of him. He quickly began to eat one-handed, his other hand still clasped in Lily's. As he ate, Mrs. Evans peppered him with questions about school, himself, and his relationship with Lily.

"So, how many of these gecko classes are you taking?"

"They're N.E.W.T.'s, mum," Lily reminded her.

"I'm actually taking eight."

"Same as Lily."

"Well, Lily has Ancient Ruins, and I have Care of Magical Creatures. But other than that, we have the same classes."

"And you do well in your classes?"

"I've already told you he's top of the class, Mum," Lily said.

"Well, I must say, it's a pleasure to meet you. And I am happy that my daughter has chosen you."

"I am, too," James told her. Before the conversation could continue, a girl who looked to be a couple years older than James entered the kitchen followed closely by a young man. The girl was short and wiry with a long, bony neck and mousy brown hair. The man, who looked to be about twenty, was large with broad shoulders and a thick neck. His nose was merely a lump in the center of his face, and his small, beady eyes seemed incongruous next to his other large features. The girl, who James decided was Lily's sister, Petunia, walked to Lily and held out her hand.

"Look what Vernon gave me," she announced. "We're getting married at the end of April. And you can't even hang onto a boyfriend." James cleared his throat loudly, and she turned to him. Her malicious expression immediately softened. She offered a hand. "I don't believe we've met before. I'm Petunia."

"I'm James. Lily's boyfriend."

Petunia burst out laughing. "How much did she pay you to say that?"

"Nothing. It's the truth." Petunia looked at him for a second before seeming to come to the conclusion that he was not lying.

"Congratulations, Lily. I wonder how long he'll stick around." Petunia laughed maliciously, and she and Vernon went into the adjoining room.

"Speaking of presents, I've got a Christmas present for you," James whispered to Lily.

"I have one, too. Let's go upstairs." After excusing himself, James followed Lily upstairs. She pulled out a long box. "Merry Christmas, James." Puzzled, he opened the gift to find a poster of the Irish Quidditch team. On each of the players' robes was a signiture. "I know Ireland is your favorite, so I found this poster and sent it to each of the players begging them to sign. Obviously, it worked."

"Thank you." James gave her a long, passionate kiss. When he finally pulled back, he extracted a box from his robes. "I'm sorry it's not a ring," he said as she opened it. "But an April wedding would be fine if you want. . ." His voice trailed off as Lily opened the box and gasped. Inside lay a beautiful gold locket. Opening it, she saw the left side had a picture of her and James in one another's arms laughing. On the right, there was a single word: Forever."

Lily kissed him. "It's perfect. I'll always wear it."

"Are you sure?" he inquired as he fastened it for her.

"Positive. We're too young to get married anyway. Maybe after we graduate."

"Anytime is fine with me. I'll wait for you forever, Lily Evans." He pulled her to him in a deep, passionate kiss. Slowly, he moved his lips down, kissing her neck before beginning to nibble it slightly. His hands moved up slowly, circling her stomach before pushing her bra away. Gently, he lowered her onto the bed. It took all of Lily's willpower to pull away from him.

"We're going to do something we'll both regret if we continue," she told him, sitting up. "Let's go downstairs. Maybe we can watch a movie."

"If you want."

When the two entered the living room, they found Petunia and Vernon settling down to watch a movie. James sat in the available armchair, pulling Lily into his lap. She snuggled against his warm, comfortable body, trying not to smile triumphantly at Petunia who was glaring at her. Vernon had not even placed his arm around her. With a smile, Lily decided the night might not turn out too bad after all.

James soon grew bored of the movie (Lily was not surprised—it had virtually no plot line, and she found herself nodding off during parts). He quickly found anther means of distraction which served the dual purpose of keeping Lily awake. When the movie finally ended, Lily glanced over at Petunia and Vernon. Vernon had fallen asleep on Petunia's shoulder, and drool slowly dribbled out of his mouth. Throwing a disgusted look at Lily, she rose suddenly to her feet and left the room. Vernon fell on his side without waking up. "Alone at last," James whispered into Lily's ear before continuing what he had been doing. For once, Lily did not worry about what her parents might think if they walked in or who might see her. She loved James deeply and wanted him to know.

James had to share a room with Vernon that night. It was small and cramped with two beds jammed into it. On top of it all, Vernon snored. James lay awake, staring at the ceiling above and thinking (naturally) about Lily. He imagined what the future might hold and what they would do after leaving Hogwarts. Her certainly wanted children—the more, the merrier, in his opinion. And pets, too. They could have a large house somewhere out in the country. A quiet place where they could be safe.

Safety. With Voldemort's rapid ascent to power, it was paramount. James wondered whether he could protect his family if he had to. Despite Dumbledore's confidence in him and Lily, he could not help but think that Voldemort had killed many wizards with much more power than James. If he continued to target James and Lily as he had been, there would come a time when he would win. James had vowed to protect Lily with his life and would gladly do so. But would his life be enough? Filled with these thoughts, James fell into a troubled sleep.

The following night, James sat on the couch next to Lily, listening to the radio play songs he had never heard before. Suddenly, Lily exclaimed, "This is my favorite! Let's dance, James."

"I don't dance," James told her.

"And I don't play Quiddithc, remember? Now, come on, I'll teach you. It's easy." Sighing, James rose to his feet and let her lead him to the middle of the floor. She placed one of his hands on her waist and clasped the other in her own before beginning to show him the steps. It took a few crushed toes and nearly an hour before he caught on. "This is different than Quidditch," he mumbled, pulling her closer. "If you mess up dancing, you hurt your teacher; in Quidditch, you hurt yourself." Lily laughed and drew even closer to him, laying her head on his chest. She could hear the steady thumping of his heart and smell the cologne he was wearing. It was peaceful and safe in his arms.

All too soon, the clock chimed eleven, and Lily's parents told the two to turn the music off. Since neither was tired, they decided to take a walk out under the brilliant, star-lit sky. Everything seemed perfect to Lily; it was too good to be true.

The next couple days flew by. Thursday found James outside with Vernon and Petunia. Lily had left to find her coat, and James found himself shifting from one foot to the other in the awkward silence that followed her departure. After a few seconds, Vernon spoke. "You and Lily seem close," he observed.

"We are."

"So, have you done it yet?"

"Done what?" Although James knew exactly what he was talking about, he deemed it wise to avoid the topic.

"You know. Have you shagged her?"

"That's really none of your business."

"That's a no if I've ever heard one."

"So what if it is? I don't have to shag someone to have a good relationship with her."

"You need to rethink that, mate."

"I am not your mate! And I think you are the one who needs to reconsider your approach to relationships."

"My approach is fine. If I ever had a girl with an ass like yours has, I'd have her in bed quicker than-"

"Don't ever talk about Lily like that again!" As he said this, James pulled his wand from his pocket and pointed it straight at Vernon. Without thinking, he waved it and said the first spell which popped into his head. Where Vernon had once been standing, a plump pig now stood, squinting in fright. Petunia began to scream.

"You bastard! Look what you did to my fiancé! You and your stupid, horrid magic!" At that moment, Lily walked out. She took one look at the scene before her and realized what had happened. A flick of her wand restored Vernon to human form. Angrily, she rounded on James.

"What were you thinking!?"

"Vernon said-"

"You aren't allowed to do magic on Muggles. You could be expelled! And you shouldn't use your magic for evil anyway!"

"I just-"

"I don't want to hear your excuses! I thought you had changed!"

"I have! If you'd-"

"Obviously I was wrong. I was stupid to think this relationship would work out!"

"No, it can. We-"

"It's over, James! This relationship was doomed from the beginning."

"Lily, I-"

"Just go home, James." She turned quickly, leaving James with no option but to Apparate back to his house.


	11. Chapter 11

When James returned home, he arrived next to his mother's garden. The can she had used for watering sat next to the garden. James kicked it over in anger. He could not believe that after coming so far, he had blown it. And it was all because of that idiot Vernon. If he had not stepped into James's life, everything would be fine. But now, because of him, James was back to square one with Lily. He kicked the can again, and it went clattering down the sidewalk. "James?" a familiar voice called. James raised his arms in a silent entreaty to heaven. Why did the day keep getting worse? "James?" Janice called again, stepping out of the bushes. "Oh, it is you! I was hoping you'd come back!" She ran to him and hugged him tightly. When she pulled back, James looked down at her curiously. She did have a very beautiful face. And she seemed perfectly eager to be with him. Why did he have to be with Lily, anyway? There were plenty of other available girls. Rage and confusion coursed through his body as he considered his options. Suddenly, he bent his head down and kissed Janice full on the lips.

As he was kissing Janice, James suddenly realized that he did not care about all the available girls. He loved Lily and no one else. No other girl could replace her in his heart. Especially Janice. Kissing Janice felt strange and unnatural. With Lily, things just felt right. James knew that kissing Janice would not help at all in fixing his problems with Lily. This sudden realization caused him to jerk back from Janice. She leaned forward for a second kiss, but James had already turned away and was walking back to the house.

As Lily followed Vernon and Petunia, she considered what had just occurred. James was certainly guilty of turning Vernon into a pig; there was no other explanation for what had happened. However, he might have had a good reason for his actions; Vernon had been acting like a jerk toward James all week. Lily knew that James's temper sometimes blew out of control, and his behavior up until the current point had been commendable. But she still did not approve of him using magic on Vernon.

Once back to school, Lily could no longer avoid contact with James. They had to share a common room and had Head duties to attend to. On top of that, Professor Slughorn placed them together for Potions again, assuming he was doing them a favor. The two sat in an uncomfortable silence the entire class, breaking it only occasionally to ask for a particular ingredient.

And so things continued for nearly a week. James's Quiddich began to suffer, and Sirius tried (unsuccessfully) to reunite the two. Both refused to admit their mistakes and adamantly denied their feelings, much to the dismay of their friends.

Lily still wore the locket James had given her. She would open it from time to time, and the sight of their happy faces brought tears to Lily's eyes. Tina entered the room one time just as Lily was shutting the locket. When she saw her best friend's face, Tina shook her head. "Lily, you have to tell James that you miss him. I hate seeing you like this."

"No, he needs to admit he was wrong"

"I'm sure he would if you would talk to him."

"I can't, Tina. I just can't!"

James stared glumly out the window of his dormitory. "Come on, mate, just ask Evans out if you miss her so much," Sirius advised.

"I can't! You didn't hear the way she yelled at me."

"I'm sure you've been yelled at worse than that before."

"I don't think she'll talke me back."

"Then find someone else. Hogwarts has plenty of girls."

"I don't want anyone else."

"Have I ever told you how crazy you are?"

Two days later, James sat in the library with a couple of third years he was tutoring. He had been tutoring quite often lately, for keeping busy helped his mind stay off Lily. One of the third years, a small girl named Megan, looked up at him as he explained grindylows. "You seem sad," she observed.

"I guess I am."

"Why's that?"

"It's not something I want to discuss."

"It's that girl you dated—Lily—isn't it? I heard you guys broke up. I guess you're not too happy about that."

"Not really."

"Well, ask her out again."

"It's not that simple."

"Then apologize first.

"I don't think that will help in this situation."

"Well, do something that she told you she really likes. Show her you were listening when you talked and that you still want her to be happy."

"Megan, I'm glad you're trying to help and all, but I-" James suddenly stopped. "Actually, you just gave mea great idea. Thanks!"

"Anytime." Megan sighed and shook her head as he dashed off. Boys could be so dense sometimes.

After Herbology, a fellow Gryffindor seventh-year, Rob McCoy, pulled Lily aside. "Are you and James really broken up?" he questioned. Lily nodded sadly. "Good. I was wondering if you'd like to go out sometime."

Lily briefly considered accepting his offer. After all, it could help to put James out of her mind. Yet she did not like Rob as more than a friend and felt it unfair to allow him to believe she did. "Let's just stay friends," Lily suggested. "I think it would be better that way."

"Okay." Rob seemed slightly bummed, but he still wore a smile. "Well, I'll see you around then." He slowly turned and walked out of the greenhouabout what had just happened. Rob was kind and smart and reasonably good-looking. Why had she turned him down? After all, she and James were broken up. She had every right to date other guys. _'But you don't want to date other guys,'_ a small voice in the back of her head reminded her. _'You want James.'_ Lily knew the voice spoke the truth; it just took her awhile to admit this. Taking a deep breath, she left to find James.

James was actually looking for Lily himself. He knew that there was one time when she was sure to be in a specific place—lunch. So, with the help of Sirius and Remus, he set up outside the Great Hall. Now he simply had to wait.

Lily considered skipping lunch; she really was not all that hungry. As she was about to go to her room, she realized that lunch was the only place she was sure to see James. He never missed a meal. She turned around quickly and collided with someone. "Watch where you're going, Mudblood," a familiar voice sneered as Lily sat up. She turned to see Severus Snape leering at her.

"Five points from Slytherin for the use of that name."

"What, Mudblood? I believe it's a perfect term to describe someone like you."

"I'm warning you, Snape. . ."

"I heard that you and Potter broke up. Could he not stand your stench any longer?"

As he said this, something inside Lily snapped. All the emotions she had bottled up inside since her break up with James flooded out. She raised her wand and shouted, "Tarentella!" Snape's legs began to move wildly, and his sneer disappeared.

"Tut, tut, Evans, I see you're taking a leaf out of your dear old ex-boyfriend's book. This is so unlike you."

"Shut up, Snape! Silencio!" When Lily said this, the endless flow of words form Snape's mouth suddenly ceased. Satisfied, Lily turned and strode back to the Great Hall. She could not believe she had just cursed another student in the hallway. It was unlike her. At the moment, she did not care about getting detention or having points taken from her house. It felt great to give Snape a taste of his own medicine. Maybe Snape was right; maybe she had been around James too long. Yet she would have it no other way.

When Lily reached the Great Hall, she saw Sirius, Peter, and Remus standing next to the door. Lily knew they were up to something, and it did not take her long to figure out what. One of them bent down to mess with something on the floor and music began to play. Lily recognized the song as one of her favorites—the one she and James had first danced to. Surely, James was around somewhere.

Lily's eyes scanned the corridor until they fell on James emerging from behind the door. He slowly approached her, singing the words Lily knew so well."

"L is for the way you look at me

O means you're the only one I see"

He was far off key, but Lily did not care. As the song continued, Lily's voice joined his.

"V is very, very extraordinary

E is even more than anything we've done before." By this time, he had reached her side. "That's love," he whispered as he bend closer. When their lips touched, applause broke out. Lily was not fond of PDA, but she did not care at that moment. For the fist time in days, she was happy.


	12. Chapter 12

"I've been miserable for days," James told her as they sat down together. His hand still clasped hers; Lily hoped it would remain there forever.

"So have I," Lily admitted.

"You should also know that right after we broke up, when I went home, I. . . well, I wasn't really thinking straight. And anyway, I sort of. . . kissed Janice."

"Oh."

"It didn't mean anything. I realized after about a second that it was all wrong. It took me another second to realize that was because I was still in love with you. Anyway, I've spent all my time since then trying to think of a way to win you back. Forgive me?"

"Of course." Lily kissed him lightly. "On the subject of confessions, I have a couple of my own to make."

"Uh-oh."

"They're not bad. Rob asked me out earlier today."

"What'd you say?"

"No, of course."

"I bet he wasn't too happy."

"He seemed okay."

"What's your second confession?"

"I kind of. . . cursed Snape in the hallway earlier."

"What?"

"Yeah. I was trying to find you to tell you I still loved you, and my nerves were already strained. When he began taunting me, I just lost it and cursed him."

"Lily Evans, I am amazed at you."

"I think you're starting to rub off on me."

"Is that such a bad thing?" Lily did not answer.

Since the two had a free period after lunch, they spent an enjoyable couple hours by the lake. When they finally headed back for Potions, both were in a much better frame of mind. "Where'd you get the cassette player and cassette for the song anyway?" Lily asked.

"I found a third year girl who had them both."

"Do you remember everything I say?"

"Most of it."

"I'm lucky to have you, James."

"Yes, you are." He smiled his cocky smile, and she threw a snowball at him.

The Gryffindor-Slytherin Quidditch match soon arrived. Snow covered the ground outside, and small flurries continued to fall. Luckily, James's team had been training in snow for five weeks, and he felt ready for the match. "Wonderful weather for our game today," Sirius commented sarcastically as James sat down at breakfast.

"We'll be fine. It's the Slytherins who have to worry."

"Glad to hear you so confident, mate. I hope you fly like you did yesterday; that's the best you've been in awhile."

"Yes, well, I've had a lot more to be happy for lately."

"That's obvious. I've seen you and Evans together."

James's pre-game pep talk was short and to the point. He had no instructions to give; his team knew what to do. After a final cheer, they all stepped out onto the field. The roar of the wind drowned out the cheering crowd which was much smaller than usual. Scanning the crowd, James groaned as he caught sight of Lily's distinctive red hair. He had told her not to come; in fact, he had insisted on it. The weather was awful, and she could see fine from her dorm. Still, he was happy that she cared enough to leave the warmth to watch him. If he had had any doubts in his mind about her love for him, they would have disappeared right then. He could not wait until they were alone again together.

James's feet had taken him to Madame Greenbottom. At her command, he stuck out his hand to meet that of the Slytherin captain. It was not much of a handshake; both captains simply glared at one another as they gripped the other's hand, each one daring the other to let go. "Mount your brooms!" Madame Greenbottom called. Their grip slackened as each swung his leg over his broom. A short whistle pierced James's ears. The game had begun.

The blinding snow made it nearly impossible for the Gryffindor players to see one another. However, the long hours of practice paid off; each could anticipate the others' moves and act accordingly. They used their virtual invisibility to their advantage. The Slytherins could not see to intercept passes or his Bludgers at the other team.

In less than five minutes, James's robes were soaked. His teeth chattered as he rocketed toward the goal post. He had endured worse, however, and forced himself to ignore his frozen limbs. He aimed and let the ball go. It soared out of his hand, past the Keeper's fingers, and into the hoop. Pumping his fist in the air, James circled the goal post quickly. The score stood at 30-0, Gryffindor. If Johnson, the Seeker, caught the Snitch soon, the cup was almost guaranteed to go to Gryffindor.

After another twenty minutes of fighting the brutal wind, the Snitch had not yet been spotted. Many people had begun to lose the initial euphoria caused by the game. They were wet, hungry, tired, cold, and ready to leave. Even James was flying slower, and his shots were more erratic. Gryffindor led by seventy points, but James no longer cared. He just wished Johnson would catch the Snitch.

Another goal by Sirius further increased the gap between Slytherin and Gryffindor. James was too tired to fly over and congratulate his friend. He was considering going to search for the Snitch himself when Remus announced, "And Johnson is streaking toward the ground with Hall close at his heels. I do believe they've spotted something. Hall pulls ahead, no, Johnson. . . Hall again. . . they pull out of the dive and Johnson has the Snitch! The final score comes to 260-30, Gryffindor. I must say, Gryffindor has been doing exceedingly well lately. With a score like that, the Cup will surely be in their hands."

When James heard the score, his heart leapt. Some quick math told him that unless they lost to Hufflepuff by more than 200 points (a very unlikely occurrence), the Cup was theirs. He threw his fist in the air gleefully, suddenly oblivious to his cold, wet clothes. Suddenly, a heavy object collided painfully with his left elbow, causing him to lose his grip on the broom. Luckily, he managed to catch himself with his legs before he fell. A sharp pain suddenly shot through his right knee, and his grip on the broom slackened. The snow had made the handle slippery, and he fell sideways before he could stop himself. For the first time in his life, James Potter fell off his broom.

Lily saw the two Bludgers hit James and watched in horror as he lost his grip on the broom. He could never survive that fall unless she did something quickly. Hastily pulling out her wand, she mumbled the first spell which popped into her mind. James's descent immediately slowed as if he had opened a parachute. Lily quickly ran down the bleachers onto the field and sprinted to where she knew James's body would e lying. The rest of the team had already gathered around him, and Sirius knelt next to him, checking his breathing. "He's okay," Sirius announced. "We just need to get him to Madame Pomfrey." Lily let out the breath she had been holding after she saw James's still body.

"I'll take him," she offered. Sirius nodded, and she raised him up with a flick of her wand. The entire team followed her into the hospital wing and stayed until Madame Pomfrey kicked them out.

When James opened his eyes, he found himself surrounded by people. His eyes sought out the face he most wanted to see. Lily sat at the foot of his bed, clasping his hand in hers. He gave her hand a reassuring squeeze before attempting to speak. "What happened?"

"Those bloody Slytherin Beaters decided it would be fun to hit you with Bludgers after the game." Sirius explained. "You should have seen the look on McGonagall's face when she yelled at them. She had every right to be mad though. You wouldn't be here right now if Lily hadn't thought quickly enough to slow your fall down." Lily blushed as James turned and smiled at her. He slowly raised her hand to his lips and kissed her fingers.

"I seem to remember Moony announcing a rather high score before I fell."

"Yes, he did. I think the Quidditch Cup is ours this year, mate," Sirius said.

"That's cause for celebration."

"It's hard to celebrate properly with Madame Pomfrey breathing down your neck. You'll have to get out of here soon so we can have a proper party."

"I look forward to it."

"Now, we're going to get going. I'll see you around, Prongs." Sirius motioned for the rest of the team to follow him out the door, leaving only James and Lily.

"I guess we're even now," James remarked. When Lily looked puzzled, he continued. "I saved your life, you saved mine."

"And I'd do it again if I had to."

"Me, too." James reached up and placed his hand on her cheek. Slowly, he pulled her face toward his until their lips locked.

After much begging and pleading, James convinced Madame Pomfrey to release him the following evening. As promised, Sirius and the rest of the team threw a party in the Gryffindor common room which lasted until 2:00 am, at which time Professor McGonagall came in with bloodshot eyes and told them all to go to be. Too tired to return to his own room, James fell asleep on the couch in the common room.

When James woke up the following morning, his head was pounding. He had probably had too much Firewhiskey the previous night. James rarely drank heavily and usually regretted it later when he did. Slowly, he opened his eyes, ignoring the conga line in his head. The first thing he saw was a pair of bright blue eyes staring straight at him. James scrambled into a sitting position, fighting the wave of nausea which passed over him. A small boy, likely in the first or second year, still stared at him intensely. James swallowed hard and took a deep breath to slow his heart rate. "Did you need something?" he questioned.

"I need to know how to kill You-Know-Who."

"What?" James wondered if the Firewhiskey had addled his brain more than he first thought.

"You-Know-Who. I want to kill him. I need your help."

"Why do you want to kill him?"

"He killed my parents." Anger flashed in the boy's eyes closely followed by another emotion James knew well: determination.

"What's your name?"

"Kyle Janison."

James thought for a second. He had read about the Janisons in the paper the previous day; they were Aurors who had been killed—tortured by Lord Vodemort. "Look, Kyle, a lot of people are hunting for Voldemort right now. A lot of capable people. You need to slow down for a bit. Finish school Maybe then you can go after him."

"I can't wait! My parents' murderer is out there. I owe it to them to take revenge."

"You're eleven."

"I'm thirteen. And I'm more capable than you think."

"Why do you want my help?"

"Because you're smart and brave. You can even say You-Know-Who's name."

"Look, I'm sorry, Kyle, but I don't think I can help you. I have to go." James stood up and ran to the bathroom. He splashed cold water on his face and stared at his reflection in the mirror. Everything was changing; now, thirteen-year-old kids wanted to go kill grown wizards. And it all started because of Voldemort.

When James came out of the bathroom, he saw no sign of Kyle. He shook his head. Maybe his mind had been playing tricks. Trying to push the odd occurrence to the back of his mind, he left for breakfast.

When he sat down next to Lily, she said, "Valentine's Day is in a couple weeks, you know."

"Oh, really?" James feigned surprise although in truth, he had been thinking a lot about that date lately. He could not decide on a way to make it special.

"Are we doing anything?"

"I thought we might."

"What?"

"That, my dear Evans, is a surprise."

Since Valentine's Day fell on a Friday, the two had class until late afternoon. After a quick shower and a change of clothes, both were ready for their date. James met Lily in the Head Common Room carrying a picnic basket. She looked at him standing before her like an eager kid in a candy store. She took his outstretched hand and allowed him to lead her out onto the grounds. Although the night was chilly, Lily's large coat kept her comfortably warm. James finally stopped under a large tree near the Quidditch field. He spread a blanket over the grass and lit a magic fire in the center before motioning for Lily to sit. He sat next to her, and after a brief interlude, the two began to eat. Neither one said a word, but the silence was not the least bit uncomfortable. It felt right; both were so acutely aware of the other's thoughts that words were unnecessary. When the meal finally ended, James cleaned it up with a flick of his wand. He kissed Lily briefly before leading her onto the field. A broom leaned against the edge of the bleachers, beckoning the two. "I thought a moonlit ride would be nice," James told Lily, mounting the broom. He motioned her over, and she cautiously mounted behind him. She wrapped her arms tightly around his midsection, hoping she would not fall off. He smiled at her and said merely two words. "Don't worry." Suddenly, all her fears and apprehensions disappeared. She knew she was safe.

When James kicked off, Lily's heart leapt. The two were suddenly streaking toward the heavens at an astonishing speed. Streaks of light in the sky indicated the positions of the stars. As the broom picked up speed, the streaks became longer until they connected to become one great, pulsating ball of light. An abrupt stop shattered the sphere, and Lily found herself hovering higher above the ground than she had ever been before. A dizzying drop separated her from the ground below. Unconciously, she tightened her grip on James. He looked down at her and inquired, "Scared?" Lily realized as he asked this that he cared deeply for her safety. With him, no reason to be frightened existed. Slowly, she shook her head. "Good." He suddenly turned the broom downward and began shooting toward the ground, pulling out of the dive at the last second. Lily found herself laughing in spite of herself.

"Don't ever do that again, James Potter," Lily told him, emphasizing each word by punching his arm.

"Oh, come on. You enjoyed it!"

"You nearly killed us!"

"No, I didn't. I know what I'm doing."

"James Potter, you are the most. . ."

"What? I'm the most what?" Lily responded by pressing her lips to his. Slowly, James let go of the broom, and the two tumbled onto the Quidditch field. The night seemed to smile on them as they kissed, and Lily marveled at how well they fit together. They were truly made for each other.

Lily felt James's hands slide under her shirt and slowly caress her stomach. They moved higher, massaging her entire body. Carefully, he lifted her shirt up and began to pull it over her head. Lily knew what would happen if she let him continue any further. But despite her convictions, she wanted him to continue. She loved him—deeply and passionately. She had always believed she would know when the time was right, and she felt that the current time was perfect. Her hands moved from his neck to his shirt. She was not pulling back this time.

Lily had told James that he would know when the right time came along. When she had kissed him on the broom, something in his brain had screamed, "Now!" He had obeyed this voice, expecting her to stop him as she had done before. However, she obviously felt the same way he did, for her hands moved to remove his shirt as he pulled hers over her head. She was not stopping him, so he reached behind her and unclasped her bra before helping her with his own shirt. As she discarded it, his lips slowly moved down her body, kissing every part of her. He was consumed with passion, so drunk with love that he forgot all else. Slowly, he reached down to unzip his own pants as she struggled out of hers. The feel of her warm body close to his seemed so right, and he was amazed at the emotions it evoked. Never before had he loved anyone so strongly, so completely. When he said forever, he meant every letter. He wanted her close by him, clasped in his arms where he could love her forever. No one could come between them. They were bound forever by love. Slowly, un-self-conciously, he removed his underwear. For the moment, no one else existed. He and Lily were the only two people in the world.


	13. Chapter 13

When the two finally broke apart, both were breathing heavily. Lily's mind teemed with thoughts. She could barely believe that she had just done what she did. She, Lily Evans, Head Girl and Hogwarts goody-two-shoes, had just had sex. On the Quidditch pitch. It seemed unreal.

As James pulled her to his side, Lily realized that she did not regret anything. She loved James with her whole heart and wanted to be with him. Forever. Besides, the experience was. . . wonderful. No, it was beyond wonderful. It was more than Lily had ever imagined. Mere words could not describe what she felt. As James leaned in to kiss her, Lily knew that what had happened was meant to be. And as their bodies drew closer once more, she felt as if she were in heaven.

By the time Lily and James decided to head back, the darkness was so complete that it took them nearly ten minutes to locate all their clothing. Although it was after hours, they could use patrolling the corridors as an excuse for being out, so they were not unduly worried. When they heard noises in a nearby classroom, Lily turned to investigate, but James held her back. "Let them have their fun," he said with a smile. After deliberating for a moment, Lily turned back and followed him to the Head dormitories. "tonight was wonderful," he told her as they kissed goodnight.

"It was," Lily agreed.

"So, you're okay with. . . you know."

"I am now."

"Good."

Lily was already dressed by the time Tina and Julie arrived the following morning to ask about her date. Lily was smiling and humming when they entered the room. Tina took one look at her and said, "You look happy. You two didn't do it last night, did you?" Lily remained silent. "Oh my God, you did, didn't you? I thought you were waiting!"

"How was it?" Julie asked.

"Do you want to do it again?"

"Where did you do it?"

"Slow down, guys," Lily told them. "I can only answer one question at a time."

"Then start from the beginning," Tina told her.

"Hey, Padfoot, you lost your bet," James said as he walked into the Gryffindor Common Room Saturday morning.

Sirius looked up from his game of wizard chess. "What bet?"

"The one we made a couple years ago over who would shag someone first. Unless you haven't told me something, you lost."

"You and Evans had sex last night?" James nodded. "How was it?"

"Wonderful. Beyond description."

"I must say, I did not expect to lose that bet. Congratulations."

"Thank you, Padfoot. And keep your money. The experience was payment enough."

James found Lily in the Head Common Room that afternoon. As usual, she had an array of books and parchment spread out in front of her and was scribbling fiercely. He bent to kiss her, but she pulled back. "We need to talk," she told him.

"Uh-oh. Those words never signify a good conversation."

"It's about last night."

"I thought you were okay with last night."

"I was. But now that I've thought about it for awhile, I'm not so sure anymore. Don't get me wrong, last night was wonderful, and I enjoyed every second of it. But I promised myself I'd wait until I was married, and I hate breaking promises. Besides, I don't know if we're old enough to deal with it yet."

"I understand Lily. But understand that I love you, and I will marry you someday—probably soon. If you want to wait until then to have sex again, that's okay with me. Just stop me if you think I'm going too far."

"So if I wanted to wait. . ."

"I'd wait for you forever."

Later that day, Lily and James decided to take a walk down to the lake. The air was still chilly, and Lily pulled her cloak tightly around her shoulders. James pulled her tightly against his side, kissing her temple. "Let's go to Hagrid's. It'll be warmer there," he suggested.

"O-okay," Lily managed through chattering teeth. She allowed James to lead her toward the small cabin. Icicles still clung to the roof, stubbornly refusing to yield to spring. A stream of welcoming smoke billowed out the chimney. Two giant steps out front clearly indicated the occupant's size. James and Lily climbed these before knocking on the gigantic wooden door. A man who stood almost double James's height answered. His face seemed pleasant enough with kind, black eyes and a small smile. When he saw James, he cuffed his shoulder with a hand the size of a trashcan lid.

"Can we come in please, Hagrid?" James asked. "It's freezing out here."

"Yes, yes, of course. So silly of me to leave yer standin' out there. Come on in and cuddle up next ter the fire. I'll make some tea and cakes."

"Just the tea is fine, Hagrid," James told him. "We're not that hungry." Lily gave him a look that clearly indicated she disagreed with this last statement. "Trust me," James mouthed.

A noise in the corner caught Lily's attention. She looked over to see fie black dogs, four of whom were tussling playfully. Every now and then, a small burst of fire would come out of the mouths of one of the dogs, singeing his sibling's fur. The scorched dog would shake briefly before continuing the brawl. "I see they have a new home," Lily observed.

"They were getting restless in the Room of Requirement. I didn't have as much time to go visit them, so I brought them here. They seem to enjoy it here," James explained.

"Besides, I could use the company." Hagrid glanced pointedly at James as he set the gigantic tea pitcher and cups on the table. Lily gratefully took the tea he offered her, hoping it would warm her up.

"So, how have yer classes been?" Hagrid questioned.

"P-pretty g-good," Lily stammered through chattering teeth. James pulled her closer to him, wrapping his arms tightly around her for warmth. She snuggled against his chest, enjoying her comfortable position.

"The teachers have really cracked down lately. I know they just want us to pass our N.E.W.T's, but I'm getting sick of all the work. Personally, I can't wait until the tests are over."

"You know we'll have three more years of Auror training if that's what we decide to do," Lily reminded him.

"Yeah, well, that will be practical stuff. It's a lot more fun to actually do something than to hear about it in a classroom," James said.

"It sounds like you guys have a busy schedule," Hagrid observed.

"We manage," James told him.

For the next hour, the three talked until James had to leave for Quidditch practice. James walked Lily back to the castle and gave her a long, ligering kiss goodbye. As he slowly pulled away, he whispered, "I love you."

"I love you, too," Lily told him. James smiled, kissed her temple, and began to walk to practice.

James and Lily sat in the Head Common room one night, completing their homework. As she thought about what to write, Lily's eyes wandered and came to rest on James. His brow was furrowed, and his eyes were focused intently on his paper. His hair stuck out at odd angles, forming the messy style she loved so much. "Staring again, Evans?" he asked. Lily felt a shiver go down her spine at the way he pronounced her last name; she could hear love in every letter.

"So what if I was?" she asked.

"Well, maybe I should make myself a bit more interesting to look at." He stood and posed with one hand behind his head, knees slightly bent, in an overdone modeling position. Lily laughed and threw a pillow at him.

"Don't quit your day job."

"Oh, come off it. I make a great model. Admit it." He leaned closer, reaching his arms to her sides. Suddenly, he began to tickle her. Lily squealed with laughter as she rolled off the couch.

"Stop it! Come on, please!" she begged.

"Tell me how good my modeling is."

"Never."

"fine. Then you must suffer the consequences." He increased his tickling until she was practically in tears from laughing so hard. When he finally stopped, it took Lily a minute to catch her breath. James lay on the floor beside her and turned to face her. "I still haven't gotten that compliment." Wordlessly, Lily leaned in and pressed her lips to his. James reached out and pulled her closer to him. His tongue entered her mouth and explored it, sending shivers down Lily's spine. Soon, his lips began to move down to her chin and finally to her neck. He began to nibble it slightly as his hands caressed her body. Slowly, his hands moved upward, still massaging her body.

James knew what would happen if he continued any further. He wanted to honor Lily's wishes and stop before it went too far, but she had not stopped him. And he wanted her so badly, longed so fervently to hold her warm body close to his. It seemed that the more he was with her, the more he wanted to be with her. He loved her so deeply that every second he was not with her felt wasted. He was not pulling back.

Lily, too, knew where they were headed. Reason immediately screamed at her to stop. But the emotions which had built up flooded over her drowned out all reason. Lily knew she loved James; she had never felt the same way about anyone before. And despite her convictions, she did want to be with him. Every time he kissed her, she could think of nothing except her love for him. All her convictions and promises to herself suddenly disappeared. No longer hampered by reason, Lily raised her arms over her head and allowed James to slip her robes off.

An hour later, Lily lay snuggled in James's arms. He kissed her briefly before saying. "I'm sorry. I know you wanted to wait."

"I don't know what I want anymore," Lily admitted. "My mind tells me to wait, but my heart tells me to go ahead."

"They always say you should follow your heart."

"It's hard not to when I love you so much."

"I love you more."

"Impossible." Lily kissed him deeply. He soon pulled back.

"We need to finish talking before we start that again. As you must have noticed, I tend to lose all self-control when I'm around you."

"We both do. I certainly didn't stop you."

"So what do you want to do? I mean, we might be able to stop ourselves next time if we try harder."

"I doubt it. And now I'm not sure if I want to. Just promise me one thing."

"What's that?"

"Don't ever leave me."

"Of course I won't. I'll be right here," he promised as he pulled her closer to him. "Forever." His lips came down forcefully on hers, and Lily felt a chill travel up her spine. She could certainly get used to this.

When Lily awoke the next morning, he was lying on the floor with a blanket wrapped tightly around her. She rubbed the sleep out of her eyes and sat up. Pulling the blanket around her, she attempted to locate her clothing. Next time, she and James would have to be more careful. Anyone might have walked in.

As Lily pulled on her robes, the portrait swung open. She stepped backwards in surprise, accidentally hitting her leg on the table. Her momentum carried her further back, causing her to fall on the table before rolling to the floor. Struggling to untangle herself, Lily heard a familiar laugh. "I'm glad your parents didn't name you Grace."

"I tripped. You scared me."

"Excuses, excuses. Face it, you're clumsy." He stepped to her. "And that's why I love you so much." After a long kiss, he indicated the try he had carried in. "I thought I'd bring you breakfast this morning to save a little bit of time."

"It looks delicious. Thank you."

"No problem. Now, let's eat." As the two consumed the food, they discussed their Defense Against the Dark Arts essays. A tapping sound indicated the arrival of the owl carrying the newspaper, and Lily rose to let him in. After paying him, she glanced briefly down at the headline and stopped. Quickly, she scanned the article, her eyes barely focused on what she was reading. She could not believe the words on the page. It was impossible.

James saw Lily stop and stare at the paper. He watched as her hands began to tremble and tears welled up in her eyes. Without warning, her knees buckled, and James rushed to catch her. When he looked at the paper, he immediately saw what had caused her reaction. The headline read, "Four killed in the Dark Lord's most recent killing spree." Under the headline were the names of the victims. James read them again to be sure he had seen them right the first time. Sure enough, the names listed were Harry and Lisa Evans and James and Maggie Potter. James swallowed hard to prevent himself from crying. His eyes glanced over the rest of the article, and words like tortured and screaming popped out at him. Taking a deep breath, he tore his attention from the paper. Now was not the time for emotions. He needed to be calm. For Lily. And for himself. "Why?" Lily asked as James held her close, stroking her hair. "Why did I have to come to Hogwarts? Why did I have to learn magic? If I hadn't, none of this would have ever happened. My parents would still be alive."

"It's not your fault," James soothed. "Voldemort killed your parents. You did nothing." Despite his words, James could not help but think that she was right. Dumbledore had told him that Voldemort wanted to kill him and Lily. The names in the paper were not a coincidence.

Lily did not know what to think. Her parents had just died. Although her mind registered this fact, her heart refused to accept it as true. It was too surreal, too unbelievable that she could become an orphan in an instant. A few words on paper meant nothing; she needed to confirm the facts for herself. She knew there was a mistake.

Slowly, the cascade of tears which streamed down Lily's face slowed and ceased. James wiped off the remaining few and suggested, "Why don't you go take a shower and see if hot water helps. It's always been soothing to me." Lily looked up at him. He had not shed a tear; in fact, his face was inexpressive. Only his eyes revealed his grief, and even there it was partly masked by rage. Lily knew that look well. She wanted to say something to comfort him and stop him from taking revenge, but she choked on her words. James kissed her temple, and Lily drew closer to him. She never wanted to let go; she felt safe in his arms. Alowly, he stood up and led her to the bathroom. He turned the water on, allowing it to warm up. "Think you can take it from here?" he asked. Lily nodded and James kissed her cheek and left.

As he exited, the weight of Lily's grief came crashing down on her shoulders, and she fell to the floor, weeping uncontrollably. Her parents were gone. She had no one in the world.

James heard Lily's sobs and immediately re-entered the bathroom. He found her huddled in a small ball in the corner. Swiftly, he strode to her side and helped her stand up. After helping her pull off her clothes, he struggled out of his own and guided her to the steaming shower water. He hated seeing her so helpless, and he vowed to make Voldemort pay for what he had done.

When the hot water hit Lily's back, she felt as if she were coming out of a stupor. Her grief was still present, but she suddenly realized she was not alone in the world. She had James who loved her as deeply as she loved him. The feeling of his warm body close to hers comforted her, and her tears slowly subsided. "Do you think you can stay with me for a little while?" she asked.

"Of course. I'll always be right here." He wrapped his arms around her and pulled her close.

"Thank you, James."

"It's really no problem."

"I love you."

"And I love you, too."

After their shower, James brought Lily some clothes which she absent-mindedly stepped into. He then led her up to his bed and lay down beside her, wrapping his arms around her. Soon, her breathing became steady, indicating that she had fallen asleep. Ever restless, James rose from the bed and scribbled a note on a spare piece of parchment before leaving the room. His first task was finding Dumbledore to explain why he and Lily would not be in class that day.

James had been to Dumbledore's office many times during his school career. At first, he came to be punished for some prank he had pulled; however, he lately had been coming to fulfill certain head duties. Although the password to his office changed periodically, Dumbledore had earlier informed James of the remaining ones, so James had no trouble gaining access to the slowly revolving staircase. He stepped on, riding it to the door at the top. He knocked on the heavy wooden door, and Dumbledore told him to enter. "I expected you," Dumbledore said as James walked into the room. "Please take a seat." Dumbledore sat behind this desk with his hands folded together. His desk was covered with various silvery magical objects. A cage with a beautiful phoenix sat in a corner along with an old, tattered hat which James recognized as the Sorting Hat. "I suppose you want to talk about what happened last night," Dumbledore surmised. James refocused his gaze on the Headmaster. Dumbledore's eyes had lost their customary twinkle; however, the deep blue still held the same intensity.

"Actually, sir, I need to ask you if Lily and I can skip classes today."

"Yes, of course. But there is one thing I'd like to tell you before you go." He leaned forward slightly and looked directly into James's eyes. "This is not your fault. Nor is it Lily's. Voldemort decided to kill your parents. He said the curse. He pointed the wand. Nothing you or Lily could have done would have stopped him. Remember that and tell it to Lily."

"I will, sir."

"And James?"

"Yes sir?"

"Stay close to Lily. You'll soon realize that you need her just as much as she needs you."

"Of course, sir."

When Lily awoke later that morning, she saw James sitting on the window ledge staring out at the grounds below. His eyes appeared distant and unfocused, and the remainder of his body was completely still. Lily lay in bed for a moment, taking deep breaths to prevent the tears from flowing. Her mind continuously reminded her that her parents were gone forever, yet the fact had not fully registered in her brain. As Lily rolled onto her side, the bed creaked, and James looked up. "It's good to see you awake," he said. Lily thought his eyes seemed a bit redder than normal. Had the great, brave, macho James Potter been crying? It was not in his nature; she had never seen him cry before. Maybe his red-rimmed eyes were merely a trick of the light.

Lily slowly rose from the bed and walked to James's side. She sat down next to him and laid her head on his shoulder. His entire body was rigid as if he had tensed every muscle. Slowly, he relaxed and put his arm around her. She snuggled closer, and he turned to face her. Looking up, Lily saw real tears in his eyes. Without warning, they began to leak down his cheeks. For the first time since he was little, James sobbed openly in front of someone else. His wall of grief slammed into him, knocking down the barrier he had so painstakingly constructed sround his emotions. He could not think straight; he only thought about his parents. His usually logical and clear-thinking brain did not know what to do. He was utterly lost with no discernable way out.

It took hours for James's tears to stop, so long that Lily wondered if the tears were only for his parents or if they had built up through all the sorrows of his past. By the time night fell, Lily had had another good cry herself. James took a deep breath and blinked the remaining tears out of his eyes. "Thanks for being here."

"It's no problem."

He smiled weakly. "We should get some supper."

"I'm not hungry."

"Neither am I, but we haven't eaten anything today." He stood up and took her hand. After throwing an invisibility cloak over both of them, he led the way to the kitchen. Both felt the need to be near each other, and neither wanted to leave the other's side, even for a moment. After taking some food, they exited the kitchen and ambled back to their room, still holding hands. When they reached the common room, both quickly devoured their dinner without truly tasting it. Afterwards, James turned to Lily. "I've been thinking," he said. "With my parents gone, you're all I really have in this world. Sure, I have friends and stuff, but it's just not the same. I love you, Lily Evans, and I want to be with you forever. And I want forever to start as soon as possible."

"What are you saying?"

"Lily Evans, will you marry me?"

"What?"

"It's okay if you say no. I mean, we're still young, and I don't have a ring or anything, but I thought a summer wedding would be nice. What do you say?"

Lily did not respond verbally but leaned forward and gave him a long, passionate kiss. When they finally broke apart, Lily said, "I guess that's a yes." Lily's heart leapt. She did not think it was possible to be happy again, but she could not help but feel a soaring feeling in her chest. After all, every cloud had a silver lining.


	14. Chapter 14

The first thing Lily heard when she awoke the following morning was an urgent, whispered conversation. As soon as her eyes opened, two bodies collided with her. "Oh my god, we're so sorry. Is there anything we can do?" Tina questioned.

"It'd be nice if you stopped suffocating me."

"Sorry." The two slackened their grip. Julie continued to talk. "I'm sorry we didn't come yesterday, but Dumbledore told us not to. He said we should leave you alone for awhile. How are you doing?"

"Better. I'm just going to take this one day at a time.

"That's always the best way. Are you hungry? We can bring you breakfast."

"No, thank you. I want to go down to the Great Hall. I can't avoid it forever."

"You sure?"

"Positive."

When James reached the Common Room that morning, the other three Marauders were waiting for him. Sirius stood up and asked, "You okay, Prongs?"

"I'm getting there."

"Anything you need?"

"How about breakfast? I'm starving."

"I just saw Lily, Tina, and Julie go through here. We could join them."

"Sounds good."

The next few days were a blur for Lily and James. Neither remembered much about the funerals. All Lily could recall was crying on James's shoulder while he stared placidly ahead, refusing to yield to his grief. Later, however, when he and Lily were alone, he cried openly until both of them were soaked with tears. As the days went by, the crying spells slowly became shorter until they only lasted for a few seconds. Both had each other, and that thought was all that kept them going sometimes. Slowly but surely, they adjusted to their new life.

Lily sat in the Common Room writing a letter two weeks later. After her parents' deaths, Petunia refused to talk to Lily despite the many attempts she had made. The letter she was working on was number five. The first four had been sent back unopened, and Lily feared this one would fare the same. Still, she found it hard to give up the attempt, and writing kept her mind occupied. Since James was at Quidditch practice, she felt more alone than ever. She considered going to see Tina and Julie, but Tina had finally scored a date with Gregory, and Julie was pursuing her most recent love interest.

Lily sealed the letter and gave it to Madden who clamped it in his beak and ruffled his feathers importantly. After receiving a quick pat, he flew off on what Lily knew would turn out to be another fruitless mission.

With nothing else to do, Lily exited the common room to wander the corridors. It felt odd not to have James at her side, laughing and joking. She wanted to feel the warmth of his hand over hers and the strength of his arms as he pulled her into a shadowy corner (an occurrence which happened quite often on their nightly rounds—so often that Lily was surprised they had not yet been caught). Lily's wanderings brought her to the front door, and she decided to go see James. Quidditch practice was nearly over, and she hoped they could spend a few minutes alone together before they had to make their rounds.

As Lily began to near the Quidditch pitch, her pace increased. She had not realized before how much she wanted to see James, but that thought now consumed her min. The sound of a twig snapping behind her caused her to stop suddenly. Someone was behind her. Cautiously, she turned her head and glanced around. It was too dark to see anything but shadows, even with the feeble beam of light from Lily's wand. Slowly, she approached the spot from which the sound originated, encasing herself in a shield charm just in case. However, Lily saw nothing as she drew closer and discovered that the bushes did not shield a wizard. Despite these findings, Lily could not shake the feeling that somebody was behind her, and she kept herself shielded until she reached the Quidditch pitch.

As expected, the players were flying toward the locker room as Lily approached. James immediately caught sight of her and flew to her. "I didn't expect to see you out here," he commented, kissing her lightly.

"Well, I had nothing to do inside."

"Let me go take a quick shower, and then we can find some way to entertain ourselves. Sound good?" Lily nodded slowly, and James noticed her hesitation. "Something wrong?" he inquired.

"It's nothing. I just thought I heard something behind me before."

"What kind of something?"

"A twig snapping."

"Where was this?" James asked, his shower forgotten.

"Near the Forbidden Forest. But I already checked. No one was there. Maybe it was just an animal."

"Maybe." James did not look convinced. "Why don't you and go back to the dormitory? I can take a shower there, and we can go on rounds after that."

"Okay." As much as Lily hated to admit it, she was scared. She knew the snapping twig was not caused by a wild animal; someone had been following her. She felt much safer with James by her side. Slowly, they ambled back toward the castle. James's hand gripped Lily's tightly, and his eyes darted back and forth, searching for danger.

Luckily, they reached the castle without any unpleasant encounters, and Lily was soon sitting in a comfortable chair in the Head Common Room listening to the shower running. She had beun to doze lightly when the shower cut off. Lily's eyes snapped open, and she stood to stretch. James soon emerged, his hair still damp and slightly messier than normal. "Ready?"" he questioned, extending his hand.

"Of course." They began their rounds in silence, both avoiding the topic which had brought them so many tears over the past few days. James's arm stole around her waist, and she drew closer to him. As they walked, his hand slowly inched lower on her body, and Lily enjoyed the sensation that simple action created. Her greif disappeared for a brief moment, and she felt truly happy for the first time in days. James gave her a mischievous smile before guiding her into the classroom right next to them. Once inside, he pushed her gently against the wall and began kissing her, first on the lips and then moving down to her neck. "We shouldn't be in here," she managed to say, gasping slightly as his tongue touched a particularly sensitive spot. "We need to be doing our rounds. Besides, this is the Transfiguration classroom. Anyone could walk in."

"You need to relax," James told her. "Life's not fun without a little risk." As soon as he finished his argument, he continued to do what he was doing before. Further objections died on Lily's lips as she slowly sank to the floor. James had already started to unbutton his robes and had soon discarded them. With his help, Lily's also soon came off. "I love you," he whispered as he rolled on top of her, relishing the emotions released as they came closer together.

When the two left the room thirty minutes later, both were in a considerably better frame of mind. Lily was smiling for the first time in days. "I can't believe we just had sex in McGonagall's classroom," she said breathlessly.

"I told you you'd enjoy it. That's why you need me. I bring excitement to your boring life."

"I'd have to agree with the bringing excitement part.

"How about we make a game out of this? We each choose five places in the school to have sex. But these have to be places where we could get in serious trouble if we were caught."

"I don't know. . ."

"Oh, come off it, it'll be fun. We'll add a little danger to our lives."

"Good. We start tomorrow."

James woke up before dawn the next morning and was too restless to go back to sleep. He climbed out of bed and started down for breakfast. Only two other people sat in the Great Hall when he entered. One was a small, scrawny Ravenclaw he did not know. The other was a Gryffindor boy who he immediately recognized. "Hullo, Kyle," he greeted, talking a seat next to the boy.

"I was sorry to hear about your parents," Kyle commented. Her certainly had a knack for jumping right to the point. "Are you ready to help me now?"

"Yeah. Last Quidditch game is this Saturday. After that, we can start meeting Tuesdays and Wednesdays after the last class."

"Are you going to teach me how to defeat You-Know-Who?"

"I'll do the best I can."

"Then I know we'll win." A smile suddenly cracked his previously impenetrable façade. "How can we not with James Potter on our side?" With that, he rose and left, leaving James once more, wondering if he had imagined the entire encounter.

James did not tell Lily about the meetings he had scheduled with Kyle. It was not in her nature to provoke violence, and he knew she would not understand his reasons for doing so. However, he felt a desire to punish the man who had destroyed both his life and the life of the woman he loved. It was in his nature to take revenge.

"Let's see your list," James said when he met Lily that night. She offered it to him, and he glanced over it briefly. "Not bad. There may be some mischief in you yet, Evans." He smiled.

"James, I still don't think we should do this."

"You'll enjoy it, trust me. First stop, Great Hall."

Lily did enjoy the experience. She always melted under James's touch. She lost herself to her emotions and lost all sense of caution. When the two finally emerged, both were breathing heavily. James's robes were on backwards, and Lily's hair was as messy as his. "How does June 6 sound?" she inquired.

"June 6?"

"For our wedding."

"It sounds wonderful. Do you need me to help plan or anything"

"No, I think I'll recruit Tina and Julie for that."

"That's good because I really have no idea how to plan a wedding and no desire to learn. All I care about is who will be standing next to me."

"I'll see what I can do." James laughed and pulled her close.

On Friday, Lily sat in the Gryffindor common room with Tina and Julie, sifting through hundreds of wizard wedding catalogs. James had a last-minute Quidditch practice to prepare for his game the following day, giving Lily some time to herself. "What about singing, dancing centerpieces for the tables?" Tina asked.

"I've already told you guys, I want a simple wedding."

"Oh, honestly, Lily, James has practically given you a blank check for expenses. You can at least go a little crazy!" Julie exclaimed.

"I'd rather save the money for after the wedding. Besides, I've never liked anything too elaborate."

"Okay, I guess you _are _the one getting married," Julie conceded. "But you could at least think about the live fairy lights."

James sat in the locker room with his team the following day. He did not give his usual pep talk, for his mind was filled with too many other thoughts. Besides, he knew his team would do fine. They had trained well and all odds were in their favor. James looked around at his teammates before they left the locker room. "You guys know what to do," he told them. "Let's wind this game." The team cheered loudly and filed out, jumping gleefully in the air as they made their way toward Madame Greenbottom. Remus's commentary soon boomed out over the field. "And Gryffindor takes possession of the Quaff—it's Potter to Black and back to Potter who goes streaking toward the goal. And. . ." A loud chime reverberated around the field. "Gryffindor scores! This may be a short game, folks." James smiled to himself as he caught the Quaffle yet again. The large red ball seemed to fit perfectly in his hands. It felt natural to carry it under one arm as he soared toward the goal at breakneck speeds. He had become accustomed to the weight of the Quaffle and the feeling of it pressing against his arm. Quidditch came naturally to him; his mind had grown so numb after years of practice that he could play mechanically and focus his thoughts on other things. At the moment, his thoughts focused mainly on the wedding. He knew without a doubt that he wanted to marry Lily; in fact, he had fantasized about a similar situation since his first year. Now that it was all actually happening, it felt unreal. James knew that he and Lily were meant for each other, and nothing could stop them from joining together forever in holy matrimony. At least, James adamantly believed nothing could stop them.

James knew as soon as he threw the Quaffle that it was going in the hoop. The crowd cheered as it soared through the rightmost hoop, undaunted by the Keeper's outstretched hands. With difficulty, James held back his urge to show off, opting instead to soar around the goalpost and return to the game. A couple more goals by Sirius and Jen brought the score to 40-0, Gryffindor. When Hufflepuff next received the ball, a well-aimed Bludger knocked it out of the Chaser's hands and into James's waiting arms. Smiling, he arried it triumphantly to the goal, scoring another ten points for his team.

Thirty minutes later, the gap between the scores had increased; Hufflepuff trailed 40 to 190. Another goal by Sirius brought Gryffindor's score to an even 200. As James congratulated his friend, Remus announced, "It seems Spinnet and Gregory have spotted something; they are both hurtling toward the ground. Spinnet pulls ahead, but Gregory is still close on his heels. Now, Gregory has caught up; he and Spinnet are neck and neck. They reach out and. . . I don't believe it. Gregory has caught the Snitch! Gryffindor wins 200 to 190, but Hufflepuff gets the Snitch. I don't believe anyone was expecting that one. Now, I think we all know who gets the Quidditch Cup this year."

James's heard Madame Greenbottom's whistle blow, and he followed his team solemnly to the field. As soon as they landed, however, all vestiges of dignity disappeared. The team began to cheer loudly along with the rest of Gryffindor who poured out of the stands. Without warning, the crowd lifted James onto their shoulders and carried him to Madame Greenbottom who presented him with the Quidditch Cup. He held it high above his head, causing a cheer to erupt from the crowd, before passing it to Sirius and climbing down. A few girls flooded around him to congratulate him, but he had eyes only for Lily. Heedless of the crowd surrounding them, he bent down and kissed her. As their lips touched, he realized that happiness still existed despite all the sorrows which had plagued him lately.

Lily blushed as James kissed her, acutely aware of all the eyes focused on her. Most of the girls shot jealous looks her way and the boys wolf-whispered. Soon, Lily had lost herself completely in the kiss, enjoying the sensations James's touch always created in her. His tongue moved eagerly around her mouth, and she pushed back on it with her own. As James's hands dropped below her waist, she pulled away to avoid going too far in public. After all, she still had an image to maintain. James's arm encircled her waist as the crowd swept them into the castle, still cheering loudly. Someone began a chorus of their House song, a song which was soon taken up by the enthusiastic crowd. Lily heard Sirius's voice above the rest and smiled when the crowd lifted him, now clutching the Quidditch cup, onto their shoulders. James laughed before tightening his arm around her waist, bringing her ear close to his mouth. "Let's go somewhere alone for a bit," he whispered. "We can join the party later."

"You're the team captain. I think people will notice if you're gone."

"We'll be there eventually. And if they do notice, who cares?" James steered her out of the crowd. With the knowledge of every nook and cranny in the entire school, it took James less than five minutes to find a small broom closet. He led Lily in and closed the door behind him, locking it with a simple charm. "Hello, beautiful," he said, taking her in his arms. As always, she melted with his touch and eagerly returned his kiss. His hands slid up, easily removing her shirt and tossing it to the side. At the same time, his lips moved down, and he nibbled her neck before moving to her shoulder. For a few seconds, he fumbled with the clasp to her bra before removing it. Lily massaged the toned muscles of his chest, enjoying the feel of his skin beneath her fingers. Slowly, she raised his Quidditch robes over his head, and they were also discarded. Jams pushed back against her, but she moved only a few inches before her back pressed against the wall. The broom cupboard was smaller than she thought, but this did not seem to stop James who merely moved his lips further down her body. She moaned softly and reached down to unbutton his pants. He helped her, quickly stepping out of them. The passion aroused in the two was now so great that it seemed they could not undress fast enough. James reached down to help her out of her pants when the door opened suddenly.

Lily scrambled for her clothes, praying that the interrupter was not a teacher. If so, she could lose her Head Girl badge or even be expelled from school. Her reputation would certainly be ruined. She glanced over James's shoulder and saw, to her relief, it was her two best friends standing in the doorway, their mouths hanging open. "We came to look for you since we didn't see you at the party. I guess maybe we should have knocked," Tina explained.

"That would have been nice," James told them. He still wore nothing but his boxers, and Lily noticed Tina and Julie's appreciative glances at his frame. By this time, she had located her bra and shirt and slipped into them.

"Right. Well, we'll see you guys later." Tina and Julie quickly turned and left, and James turned back to Lily.

"Where were we?" he asked, leaning in toward her.

"James, let's just go to the party," she said, pushing him away.

"If you want. I'd appreciate a rain check though."

"Of course."

When James and Lily walked into the Gryffindor common room, a cheer erupted form the crowd. James smiled as guys patted him on the back and girls hugged him (Lily happily noted that he pulled out of these embraces rather quickly). Sirius had once again procured copious quantities of Firewhiskey. James accepted one but drank only a few sips at Lily's insistence. Of course, Sirius teased James about the short leash Lily kept him on, yet James simply smiled and pulled Lily onto his lap. She nestled comfortably in his arms, and Sirius soon left the two alone, claiming that they sickened him. "James," Lily said after a few seconds of silence.

"Yes, love?" He absent-mindedly traced the fingers of her hand, causing a pleasant tickling sensation to cascade through Lily's body.

"Have you ever, you know. . . been with another girl?"

James stopped tickling her fingers. "Of course not!" he said vehemently. "I'm not one to sleep around. I thought you would realize that."

"I did, I guess. I just had to be sure. I mean, why haven't you been with other girls? You've certainly had plenty of opportunities."

"I've been waiting for the right person, Lils."

"Good." Lily snuggled closer to him, smiling as a couple other girls glanced her way in disgust. She enjoyed knowing that she had James all to herself and that nothing could ever change that.

Around 1:00 am, McGonagall came in and ended the party quite abruptly. People began to disperse, grumbling as they trudged off to their dormitories. Eventually, only James and Lily were left in the common room, snuggling in the comfortable armchair as they watched the dancing flames of the fire. "I guess we should start heading back to our dorms," James said.

"Mmm." Lily was comfortable nestled in James's strong arms, and did not particularly want to move.

"Or we could continue where we left off earlier," he suggested.

"James, we're in the Gryffindor common room. It's a bit less private than ours. Anybody could walk in."

"But I seem to remember it being on the list."

"Can't we just go to your room?"

"Come on, Evans, live a little." He kissed her tenderly, and all her protests died on her lips. "Still want to go back to our dorm?" he questioned, his voice husky. All Lily could think of was how much she wanted to be with him; she pulled his lips to hers in response. Her fingers raked through his hair as he pulled her closer, his hands clutching her hips. Both fell to the floor, still locked tightly together. He brought his mouth to her neck and sucked greedily as his hands roamed her body. Her hands still played with his hair, slowly moving down to tickle the nape of his neck. In his haste, he ripped her shirt as he pulled it off, but she paid no attention; it could be mended. His Quidditch robes came off with equal haste followed closely by her bra. By this time, his body had moved so close to hers that Lily could feel his heart beating against her own. Unconsciously, she dropped her hands lower, and he moaned in pleasure. They rolled over so that he was on top of her, and he quickly removed her pants. His fingers slowly slid from her knee up to her inner thigh, and she gasped at the sensation created. In no time at all, his pants, too, came off as he pulled off her underwear. Passion now drove all of Lily's actions as she hastily removed the last impediment—his boxers. The intense emotions coursing through Lily's body brought her closer to him as his lips slowly moved over her body. For some reason, the feelings Lily had as their bodies drew together were stronger than usual; it seemed as if the passion aroused by their time in the closet had grown exponentially until it became almost unbearable. Lily groaned as she felt the push of his body against hers, and she encouraged him by placing her hands on a particularly sensitive spot. He echoed her groan as he rubbed his hand over her thigh, feeling her soft skin beneath his fingers. The flood of emotions hit him like a ton of bricks, and he made love to her as if tomorrow would never come.


	15. Chapter 15

When they finally pulled apart more than an hour later, their breathing was labored and both were covered in sweat. "Wow," James whispered. "That was. . ."

"Indescribably," Lily supplied. He nodded dumbly.

"Maybe we should make this a nightly ritual," he suggested.

"I don't know if I have enough energy."

"Of course you do." He leaned over and kissed her. "Want to try again."

"Not tonight. I'm exhausted."

"Suit yourself."

"But I promise we can try again sometime soon." Lily smiled. "I think we might be even better next time."

"Evans, you never cease to amaze me."

"That's good. It keeps our relationship fresh." James laughed at her comment before rising to locate his clothing.

As promised, James met Kyle in the library on Tuesday for their training session. He quickly found that the small boy knew more than he gave him credit for. After reviewing the basics for a little while, James decided to move on to something a bit more advanced—the Impedimenta curse which would stop any opponent for long enough to escape. James had found a mouse to practice on. Unfortunately, Madame Pierce did not approve of live animals in the library. She glared at the two until James picked up the mouse and motioned for Kyle to follow him. He led him to the concealed entrance of the Room of Requirement and began to pace in front of it. Kyle gasped when a door appeared, and James opened it to reveal a room perfectly suited for practicing defensive spells. Hundreds of books lined the walls and pillows were stacked into a neat pile in the corner. A cage of mice sat on a small table. James smiled at Kyle's look of astonishment and explained, "This is the Room of Requirement. Pacing back an dforth in front of the wall and thinking about what you need reveals the door."

"Wicked." Kyle began examining the titles of the books lining the wall until James called him back.

"Come on, we need to keep practicing."

"Okay." Kyle reluctantly turned his gaze from the books and walked over to James.

"So you hold the wand tightly, jab left into the air, and say, 'Impedimenta!'," James instructed, demonstrating on the mouse. It immediately stopped moving. James muttered the counter curse and turned to Kyle. "You try."

"Impedimenta!" Kyle shouted, jabbing his wand violently into the air.

"You need to make your wand movement more deliberate," James corrected, levitating the mouse back to its previous position.

"It's hard when the mouse won't stop moving!" Kyle complained.

"It's not supposed to be easy."

James had told Lily he was going to study, so she had decided to spend some time with friends. The three sat in Lily's dormitory, talking. "We haven't seen you much lately," Tina commented. "You've been very busy with James."

"Very busy," Julie echoed with a smile. "Although from what I saw, you certainly seemed to be enjoying yourself."

"Which reminds me, you haven't been busy up here, have you?" Julie asked, moving closer to the edge of the bed.

"Don't worry, that bed is clean," Lily assured her.

"But James's isn't, is it?" Julie questioned.

"No comment."

"Any other places I shouldn't visit? I mean, broom cupboards already aren't safe."

"Well. . ."

"Come on, Lily, we're your best friends. You have to tell us."

"The Transfiguration classroom, the Great Hall, the Gryffindor Common Room. Oh yeah,the prefect's bathroom."

"Wow, you have been busy."

"Tina, do you think this makes me a slut? Honestly."

"Lily, you love James, don't you?"

"Of course."

"Then you're not a slut in any way. I mean, you two are going to get married. James, as far as I know, is the only guy you've ever been with and likely the only guy you'll ever be with. You guys are in a wonderful, committed relationship. This isn't a one-night stand."

"I guess you're right."

"Of course she's right," Julie added. "Frankly, I think you're the luckiest girl in the world. You have this wonderful guy who's completely devoted to you. I'd kill for that."

"You'll find somebody, Julie."

"Not at the rate I've been going. That whole thing with Lance didn't get anywhere."

"Nor did that date with Gregory." Tina was about to continue when a loud voice called up the stairs.

"Lily, dear, we need to talk to you," Sirius yelled in an unnaturally high voice.

"I'm busy right now."

"It will only take a few seconds," Remus told her. Lily sighed and exited the room, joining them at the foot of the stairs.

"Okay, we have a request," Sirius began.

"Uh-oh."

"It's not bad," Sirius assured her. "You see, we just want to pull one final prank. Go out with a bang. And we want James to help."

"What have I go to do with this?"

"Everything. James would never help unless he had your permission."

"The prank would be harmless," Remus assured her. "Just something to look back and laugh at as a fond memory of our school days."

"Well. . ."

"Just think about it and get back to us," Sirius told her. "By the way, have you seen James?"

"He said he was studying. I'd check the library."

"Studying?" Sirius attempted unsuccessfully to conceal a snicker. "Sure. I'll go check the library." He left quickly, still snickering softly. As Remus and Peter followed him, Lily wondered if he could be right about James. The only other times Jams had shown any interest in studying was when Lily offered to help him. Could he have other reasons for wishing to be alone? If so, what, or who, were they?

When James announced the next day that he would be studying again, Lily became suspicious. James would never willingly study for two days in a row, even with N.E.W.T.'s coming up. So, Lily decided to use a few tricks she had picked up from her time with the Marauders. Immediately after class, she raced to James's room and found his invisibility cloak. Throwing it over herself, she made her way quickly to the library. Finding no sign of James, she began to grow worried. Maybe Sirius was not as crazy as she thought he was. Although James had given her no reason to doubt him in the past, his present actions certainly seemed suspicious. Lily walked quickly down the first corridor she came to and, to her surprise, heard voices coming from a classroom to her left. Curious, Lily slowly opened the door and gasped when she saw what lay on the other side.

Since Sirius had told James he needed the Room of Requirement that afternoon, James had found an empty classroom where he and Kyle could practice. He decided to work on masking charms that day, a Transfiguration spell that had effects similar to the Polyjuice potion. Basically, the wizard using the spell could change his appearance. Kyle proved to be extraordinarily adept at Transfiguration spells; in minutes, he had become a strikingly beautiful girl. As James congratulated him, he heard the door to the classroom open. When he looked back, he swa no one at first. Suddenly, Lily appeared, seemingly out of thin air, clutching James's invisibility cloak in her hand. She stared at her boyfriend in disbelief before storming out of the classroom. "Lily, wait!" James called, running after her.

"Get away from me, you ass!" she shouted over her tears.

"Lily, just let me explain." With a burst of speed, he managed to catch up to her and grabbed her arm. She attempted to shake him off, but he was too strong. He took her other arm in her opposite hand and looked into her eyes. "Just come back with me. I'll explain everything."

"No. I don't want to meet. . . whoever she is."

"Technically, he's not a she."

"What? No guy is that well-endowed."

"Trust me. Now, come on." James steered her back toward the room they had come from, and she reluctantly followed. When they reached the classroom, she saw Kyle sitting on a desk. A single glance assured her that he was definitely not a girl.

"What's going on?"

"This is Kyle," James explained. "I've been helping him out with some defensive spells. Today, we were working on masking charms."

"So the girl. . ."

"Was actually Kyle after he had performed a particularly effective masking charm."

"Does he need to know that charm? I didn't think we started it until sixth year. It's pretty advanced."

"Well, we're not exactly working on anything for a class."

"What are you working on?"

"Kyle has something in common with us. His parents were also murdered by Voldemort. I promised him I'd teach him some spells to help him fight back."

"Are you serious? You cannot send an eleven-year-old kid to fight one of the most powerful wizards alive."

"I'm thirteen," Kyle corrected. The new voice startled James and Lily; both had forgotten he was there.

"Kyle, why don't you go finish your homework? I'll meet you again in the library next Tuesday." Wordlessly, Kyle rose out of the chair and left the room. As soon as the door had closed behind him, James turned back to Lily. "Of course I wasn't going to let him go alone. I'd be with him."

"No. No, no, no! I'm not going to lose you, James Potter."

"You won't lose me."

"You can't promise that."

"I can promise that I will always be with you, no matter what." He pulled her closer and placed his hand over her beating heart. "Right here." Bending down, he kissed her softly, and she yielded to his embrace.

The four Marauders met in the Gryffindor common room the following night. "So, we've got one last chance to leave our mark," Sirius said. "'Cause N.E.W.T.'s are one week after next, and I don't plan on sticking around long after them. Let's make this prank our best yet. Any ideas?" James opened his mouth to talk, but Sirius interrupted him. "Before you ask, we go Evans's permission, but we expect your full cooperation."

"Okay, how about this for a plan?" James began to outline his prank, eliciting an appreciative smile from his friends.

Monday morning, the four Marauders arrived at breakfast early in order to see the full effect of their prank. Slowly, the Great Hall began to fill with groggy people who sat down in their customary seats and began to eat mechanically. The first odd event occurred when a Ravenclaw first year suddenly rose from his seat and kissed a burly Slytherin fifth year girl behind him firmly on the lips. Soon, students all over the Great Hall were rising from their seats to profess their great love for people they had never met before. The Marauders shook with silent laughter at the mayhem before them. "What's going on?" Lily questioned as she joined the table.

"Nothing," the Marauders chorused. Lily raised her eyebrows skeptically and picked up a goblet of pumpkin juice. "No!" James shouted, knocking the goblet out of her hands.

"You didn't poison it, did you?" Lily inquired.

"No, it just has an. . . additive I'd rather you not drink."

"It's a love potion, right?" Lily surveyed the scene around her.

"Not just any love potion, my dear. It's one created specially by the Marauders. No antidote exists. But not to worry, it will wear off in 24 hours." As Lily watched one of the Gryffindor Beaters pursue a small, skinny first year out of the Great Hall, she thought it would be a long twenty-four hours.

All through the day, random people would appear at the doors to classrooms with entreaties to their "loved ones." Some attempted to serenade the object of their affections, often off-key. Lily had to admit, it was amusing to watch Dean, a fellow Gryffindor seventh-year, try to convince Professor McGonagall of his undying love for her. Unfortunately, McGonagall did not find it at all amusing. The Marauders were all given separate detentions that Friday, yet each believed it was a small price to pay.

As James walked in the library for Kyle the next night after dinner, he relived a particularly enjoyable time he had experienced there the previous night (the library was number four on the list). When Kyle did come in, his entrance was so quiet that James did not realize he was there until he heard a voice say, "What are we working on today?" James nearly jumped from his seat; he had been slightly preoccupied. Quickly, he turned to look directly at Kyle.

"I don't know. Is there anything you want to work on?"

"How about a Patronus?"

"That's very advanced magic. And we really need a dementor if you want to receive the full effect?"

"I could always try to conjure up one without the dementor and then move up to conjuring one with a dementor or something like it later. The Room of Requirement could give a good substitute."

"I guess. Come on, let's go to the Room of Requirement," James led the way, talking to Kyle about school.

"How do you ask a girl out?" the boy asked suddenly.

"What?"

"There's a girl I kinda like, and I want to ask her out, but I don't know how to do it. I thought you'd know. You've asked loads of girls out."

"Well, you just ask her if she'd like to go on a date with you sometime. It's pretty simple."

"What if she says no?"

"It depends. If she's just another girl, let her go and ask someone else. But if she's someone special, keep asking. I had to ask Lily dozens of times before she said yes."

"Why'd she say no at first?"

"Because I was a bigheaded prat."

"How'd you finally get her to go out with you?"

"I deflated my head a bit, started being nicer to people and stopped getting into so much trouble. We became friends slowly. Anyway, she got mad at me one night for something I didn't do, and I was about to turn my back on her forever. But something inside me told me to kiss her. So I did, and I greatly enjoyed the experience. I believe she did, too, because she kissed me back. And when I asked her out that time, she said yes."

"Wow. Do you think I should kiss the girl I like?"

"No, not yet. Now, we're here, and I need to concentrate."

Lily attempted to do homework while James was helping Kyle but soon gave up her efforts. The clear night outside seemed inviting, and she decided to take a walk. Her feet carried her automatically to the front door as her mind wandered. She imagined being married to James with a houseful of kids Both of them would be Aurors, of course, keeping evil wizards at bay. It seemed ideal.

Lost in her thoughts, Lily wandered to the edge of the Forbidden Forest and followed it to the lake. A voice suddenly interrupted her reverie, chilling her to the bone. "Good to see you again, Evans," Jacob commented. "I've brought some friends who'd like to meet you." Five shadowy figures stepped out, surrounding Lily. These were not students but full-grown wizards: the Death Eaters. One of the hooded figures stepped forward.

"Ah, I finally meet the great Lily Evans," a cold voice hissed. Alhtough Lily had never heard the voice before, she knew immediately who it belonged to. It sent icy spikes straight through her body to her heart, causing her to shiver. Silently, she begged for help, knowing as she did that her efforts would be in vain. She was utterly alone, left to face one of the most powerful wizards alive. Lord Voldemort had come to Hogwarts.


	16. Chapter 16

After twenty minutes of work, Kyle managed to produce a feeble silvery cloud which quickly disappeared. "You need to find a happier thought to focus on," James instructed. "It'll make a stronger Patronus." He watched as Kyle's brow furrowed, indicating his intense concentration. Suddenly, a strong sense of danger overpowered him. He knew something was seriously wrong; his thoughts immediately turned to Lily. Subconsciously, he knew he needed to find her quickly through the exact reason escaped him. "We're going to have to continue this tomorrow," James told Kyle, turning to leave the room.

"Why? Where are you going?"

"It doesn't matter. Just go back to your dorm. Quickly."

"Not until you tell me what's going on."

"It's nothing I can't handle by myself, so please leave." James strode quickly toward the front door, his feet automatically carrying him to the place Lily was most likely to be—outside. Kyle still followed, jogging to keep up, yet James no longer noticed his presence. He had only one objective.

In no time at all, he came within hearing distance of the battle. A heartless, high-pitched laugh sounded above the cacophony of noise. James knew instinctively who the laugh belonged ot. He drew his wand as he steadily approached the group. With a sigh of relief, he spotted Lily still standing in the center of the circle, her wand raised. She blocked a couple spells, casually flicking her wand to the side. The fluidity and accuracy of her movements when performing charms had always impressed James.

By this time, James was within twenty meters of the fight. "Stupefy!" he yelled at the top of his lungs. A jet of red light shot from his wand to the nearest Death Eater, stunning him. Of course, the odds were still heavily weighted toward Voldemort. But the spell did succeed in distracting the Death Eaters who turned to James, wands out. A Crucio curse shot James's way; however, he ducked before it could hit him. Unfortunately, the Sectumsempra curse a different death eater cast did. With blood now pouring from his side, James raised his wand to attempt another stunning spell, but the Death Eater shielded himself before he could finish the incantation. Suddenly, James heard a small voice behind him yell, "Stupefy!" He turned quickly and saw Kyle standing to his right, hatred flashing in his eyes. His curse hit Jacob squarely in the chest, knocking him to the ground.

"Well, this is turning out to be more interesting than I thought it would be," Voldemort commented. "Let's see, shall we start with the little one?" James stepped toward Kyle, but Voldemort was too quick. Before James had moved more htan a meter, Voldemort yelled, "Avada Kedavra!" A jet of green light shot out of his wand, hitting Kyle squarely in the chest. He crumpled to the ground lifelessly.

Rage now coursed through James's veins as he advanced on Voldemort. He no longer wanted to simply stun him; he wanted him to die—slowly and painfully. "Not so fast," Voldemort said, waving his wand. "Imperio!" James's mind suddenly went blank, all his thoughts erased by the Imperius curse. A voice suddenly sounded in the back of his head, instructing him to kill Lily. Slowly, he began to move closer to her, intending to obey the voice. After all, it sounded perfectly trustworthy. It surely would not lead him wrong. Carefully, he raised his wand.

When Lily first heard James's voice as he stunned the Death Eater, she was filled with relief. She knew that the two of them together could face anything, even Voldemort. Aiming carefully, she threw a few hexes at the Death Eaters surrounding her when a small voice suddenly broke her concentration. Distracted, she glanced over her shoulder and saw Kyle standing a few meters from James. She knew what was coming, but she was powerless to stop it. As she averted her eyes, a Death Eater took advantage of her momentary lack of attention and hit her with the Cruciatus Curse. Pain seared through her body, but her vocal cords would not allow her to scream. Just as suddenly as it had hit, the pain was gone. Lily looked up and saw James advancing toward her, a glazed look in his eyes. Immediately, she realized he was under the Imperius Curse, and her heart froze when she heard Voldemort's instructions. "Kill Lily."

When James saw the fear in Lily's eyes, it aroused strong emotions which had initially been masked by Voldemort's Imperius curse. He did not want to kill her; he loved her. With that thought, he managed to regain full control of his actions. Attempting not to alert Voldemort to his shedding of the Imperius Curse, he continued to walk toward Lily. When he was an arm's length away, he slowly raised his wand as he stretched out his free hand. Once he had grabbed her hand in his own, they both pointed their wands directly at Voldemort and yelled, "Expelliarmus!" Voldemort's wand nearly flew out of his grip; he grasped it so tightly that Lily could see the veins pulsing in his hand.

"I congratulate you, Potter. You seem to be a bit smarter than I thought. No matter—I'll just kill you both myself then. Avada Kedavra!" As the jet of green light shot out of his wand, Lily conjured a chair and James a table. The two articles of furniture absorbed the green light, shattering into pieces. "Impressive," Voldemort said. "It's too bad I have to kill you." He snapped his long, white fingers, and the Death Eaters stepped out of the shadows. They had been waiting for a signal to attack; their master often preferred to kill the most important people himself. Lily and James now faced four grown men—odds that did not seem too comforting. James's grip tightened as his eyes sought hers. She knew what he wanted to say even before he mouthed the words, and she smiled as she assured him that she loved him, too. James mimicked her smile and shouted, "Protego!" A silvery shield encased the two, blocking the curses sent at them by the Death Eaters. Voldemort had disappeared from sight, leaving only three people for Liyl and James to fight. In no time at all, Lily had disarmed one, sending him scurrying into the forest. Another was stunned by James, and the third was brought down by a combined, over-enthusiastic Impedimenta curse. As the last Death Eater fell, Lily heard Voldemort's voice saying, "Don't think this is the last time you'll see me. I can't be defeated so easily!" He said no more after this statement, and James dropped his wand arm, racing to the spot where Kyle's body lay. Blood now poured from a gash on his arm in addition to the one on his side, yet he ignored this. Lily had a cut down her cheek but was otherwise unharmed. She joined James who knelt next to Kyle's body, desperately attempting to revive him.

"He's gone, James," Lily said, gently placing her hand on his shoulder.

"No, he's not!" James shook her hand off and continued his fruitless efforts. Tears rolled down his cheeks, steadily increasing in volume until his sobbing became unbearable. He covered his face with his hands and wept. Lily knelt beside him and put her arm around him, resting her head on his shoulder. She hated all the death and destruction Voldemort had caused and the families he had torn apart. She wondered how one wizard could do so much evil. No one seemed to be safe from his power, and most people lived in fear.

James's tears quickly dried up, and he grabbed the hand Lily had placed around his shoulders, bringing it up to his lips. Slowly, he placed his arms under Kyle's body and rose to his feet, lifting the small body with ease. He and Lily began to long trek back to the castle, each lost in his or her own thoughts. Lily wished they had brought the invisibility cloak; explaining the blood covering her and James and Kyle's body to passersby in the corridors would be difficult. She opened the front door for James, allowing him to enter first. He seemed to share her apprehension of meeting an overly curious student, for he led the way through a winding maze of secret passageways to reach the hospital wing. Madame Pomfrey had already left for the night, so James left to find Dumbledore.

On his way to the Headmaster's office, James took a similar route of confusing passages to avoid all contact with people When James reached the top of the revolving staircase, the door was slightly ajar, and James heard Professor McGonagall and Dumbledore arguing about something. Normally, he would have eavesdropped to learn any useful information he could, but he had other concerns. He knocked loudly, and Dumbledore called, "Enter!"

When James followed Dumbledore's instructions, he saw McGonagall standing in front of Dumbledore's desk with her lips pressed tightly together. Dumbledore stood in a corner, his normally placid look still covering his face. As soon as he noticed the blood on James's clothing, Dumbledore became more alert. "What happened, James?" he questioned, stepping toward James. Professor McGonagall, too, looked at him intently, waiting for an answer.

"Lily, Kyle, and I ran into some Death Eaters outside. Voldemort was with them. We fought, and he-" James stopped for a moment to swallow the sob which had built up in his throat. "He killed Kyle."

"Where are Lily and Kyle now?"

"In the hospital wing."

"Okay. Come with me." Dumbledore strode swiftly out of the room, James and McGonagall close on his heels.

"Where are the Death Eaters you fought no, Mr. Potter?' McGonagall asked.

"One of them ran off into the woods when we disarmed him. Three are stunned, lying somewhere near the lake, and the fifth one is probably there too, knocked out by two Impedimenta curses."

"And You-Know-Who?"

"He disappeared."

"Very well. Thank you, Mr. Potter." She turned suddenly to the right, heading toward the front doors. James increased his pace slightly to keep up with Dumbledore.

"How did Voldemort get in, sir?" he questioned. "I thought Hogwarts was one of the most protected places in the wizarding world."

"There are many ways around any form of protection we can set up," Dumbledore answered elusively. By this time, they had reached the hospital wing, and Dumbledore entered quickly, followed closely by James. Lily was sitting by the bed on which Kyle lay, his limp body bent at an awkward angle. James's eyes met Lily's, and he saw that they were brimming with tears. Heedless of Dumbledore's presence, he knelt beside her and gathered her in his arms, slowly caressing her back soothingly. Dumbledore examined Kyle's body briefly before turning to James and Lily. James still had his arms wrapped tightly around her, and she leaned heavily against his chest. "I'm going to clean up your wounds, and then I want you two to go back to your dorm and try to get some rest. I'll deal with this," Dumbledore instructed. He traced his wand up James's arm, muttering an incantation. The wound slowly closed, healing itself. After he had healed the gash in James's side and the one in Lily's cheek, Dumbledore bad them goodnight. James helped Lily to her feet, and they slowly walked out of the hospital ward with their arms still around one another.

Both of them changed and showered when they reached their dorms before saying goodnight and heading to bed. James lay in his huge four-poster bed, his eyes wide open and staring at the ceiling. He did not feel at all like sleeping; his mind was too preoccupied with what had occurred that day. He had witnessed a murder-a murder at the hands of Voldemort. Kyle's life had ended in a flash with two simple words. It was unbelievable; never again would Kyle be able to laugh or hand out with friends; he would never be able to go on his first date or experience his fist kiss. He would become a distant memory, and all because of Voldemort.

A sudden sound caused James to reach instinctively for his wand. However, a recognizable voice said, "I couldn't sleep, so I thought I'd join you. I hope I didn't wake you."

"Of course not, sweetheart. Come here." James rolled over in bed and allowed her to crawl in beside him. He wrapped his arms around her, drawing her closer to him. Her presence was a great comfort to him, for it reminded him that he still had something to live for. Feeling her warm body next to his, he fell into a peaceful sleep.

Dumbledore explained some of the circumstances surrounding Kyle's death the following day, avoiding any mention of Lily or James. Lily was grateful for this because she did not feel like explaining what had happened to the hundreds of people who were sure to ask. Various rumors spread like wildfire, ranging from speculations over whether or not Kyle was Voldemort's nephew to whether Kyle single-handedly fought off two dementors and a giant. Lily, Tina, Julie, and the Marauders were the only seven students in the school who knew the whole story, and they were perfectly content to allow it to remain that way. Potions class found all seven of them huddled in a corner, ostensibly putting the finishing touches on their Veritaserum. Lily, who was easily the best potion-maker in the group, stirred in the last ingredient, causing it to turn clear as James explained the details of the night before.

"You could've called me, mate," Sirius told him. "I would've been there before you knew it."

"I know, Padfoot, but there was no time. Next time we fight an evil wizard who's trying to kill us, I'll make sure to include you." His abrasive sarcasm resulted from his concealed grief which still threatened to flood to the surface.

"We're really sorry about Kyle, Prongs," Remus told him.

"I know." James stared at his reflection in the swirling Veritaserum, his face inexpressive.

N.E.W.T.'s soon arrived, forcing James to spend all of his free time with his nose in a book. His grief over Kyle's death slowly abated; he did not forget about him, but the memories became less painful. Friday brought the last of James's tests—one in Herbology and another in Charms—and he gratefully left the stuffy interior of the castle to enjoy the sunshine. One hand held Lily's tightly, their fingers entwined casually as they strolled around the grounds. Sirius had taken his newest girlfriend to the Room of Requirement, Peter had disappeared, and Tina was enjoying the company of a good-looking Hufflepuff. Remus and Julie had decided to take a walk together (at Lily's urging), leaving Lily and James alone together. "We made it," James said with a smile.

"We did. Another week of virtually nothing, and we'll be through. I'm going to miss this place."

"Me, too, but we can always come back and visit. And in a few years, our son or daughter will come here, too."

"So you do want kids?"

"Of course. I want a houseful."

"That sounds good to me. I've always like a big family."

"Stop for a minute," James said. They were in a small clearing surrounded by trees. "I have something for you. Close your eyes."

"James, what-" He covered her lips with his before she could complete her sentence, reaching up to shut her eyelids. Slowly, he knelt on one knee, extracting a small box from his pocket.

"You can open your eyes now," he told her. She followed his instructions, gasping in delight when she saw the beautiful diamond ring gleaming on the box. "I thought I'd ask you properly," James explained. "You know, with a ring and everything. I hope you like it."

"It's beautiful." Lily held out her hand as he slipped it on her left ring finger.

"Now everyone'll know you're taken," James whispered, leaning in to her. Their lips touched, and flames of passion erupted in James's insides. He inserted his tongue into her mouth, playing briefly with hers before moving his lips onto her chin and neck. His hands traced the small of her back, slowly dropping lower as they followed the lead of his lips. Lily dropped her hands to his hips and pulled him closer to her. He fell against her, and they stumbled, still locked tightly together, until her back hit a tree. He reached out to brace himself against the tree with one hand as her other explored her body. Feeling the press of his body against hers, Lily pushed back, feeling her heart beat faster. Her breathing was already heavy, and he was blinded by emotion. James's tongue tickled her neck, and she moaned as she felt it slide lower. He pulled back briefly to remove her shirt before continuing what he was doing. It took al of Lily's willpower to pull back. "We're out in the open in broad daylight," she reminded him. "Anyone can see us." James nodded, his passion still consuming his body.

"Let's find somewhere else then," he suggested. His hazel eyes blazed as he looked at her, and she smiled in agreement before following him as he strode quickly from the forest. Instead of turning toward the castle, however, he veered right.

"Where are we going?" she questioned.

"You'll see." James continued at his quick pace, and Lily had to practically jog to keep up. Suddenly, she realized where they were headed.

"James, the greenhouse is not a good place."

"Why not? I believe it's one of the last two places on the list."

"Well, it would be okay if it were at night when nobody was around. But anyone could walk in right now."

"Classes are over for the day, and everyone is enjoying the fresh air. No one is going to want to go back to the greenhouse. Besides, the castle is too far away." He reached the door of the greenhouse and held it open for her. She entered and heard him close and lock the door behind her. Gently, he pushed her against the wall and brought his lips down on hers. He enjoyed the feel of her tongue on his as he moved it around her mouth. Slowly, his mouth moved to her neck, nibbling slightly. His hands stole under her shirt, caressing her body. As he was about to pull it off, a voice interrupted him.

"It looks like our Heads are getting rather close. What an example they're setting for the younger kids." James pulled back reluctantly and glanced up at the small poltergeist floating above him.

"Peeves!" he shouted. "Get out of here."

"Oh, you want a little privacy? Maybe I should bring the teachers to show them how well the Heads they've chosen behave."

"I'm warning you, Peeves. Do you want me to call the Bloody Baron?"

Peeves's face grew whiter, if that was possible. "You d-don't need to do that. I was only joking."

"Well, take your joking somewhere else."

"I will, sir." With that, he flew out through the greenhouse wall.

"Alone at last," James muttered. He kissed her forcefully, bringing his body close to hers. She felt her back press against the wall as he drew even closer. His hand reached out to the wallso pleaso, steadying them. Lily carefully pulled off his robes and ran her hands over his muscular frame. She had always enjoyed the feel of his skin. Her emotions ran rampant, and she was unable to think straight as he pulled her robes off. In no time at all, the two stood, completely naked, locked tightly together. James fingers traced her thigh, slowly inching upward. A pleasant shiver ran down her spine as his finger found a sensitive spot. Bringing her body closer to his, he marveled at how well they fit together. She loved him deeply and wanted him to know. Carefully, she lowered her hands to his hips, groaning with pleasure as he moved closer.

As they walked back to the castle, they saw that Remus and Julie were also returning. Lily smiled when she saw that Remus's hand enclosed that of her friend. "I was hoping he'd be good for her," she told James.

"Good for us, too," James commented. He looked at them for a moment before continuing. "I'm not ready to go in yet."

"Me neither," Lily agreed.

"Good." James pulled her behind a large stone column, crushing his lips to hers. She played with his hair for a few minutes before wrapping her arms tightly around his neck to bring him closer. Slowly, his tongue slid into her mouth as his hands dropped to his hips, pulling him even closer.

"I guess you two are happy to have finished your N.E.W.T.'s," a voice commented. Startled, Lily pulled away quickly. Her heart sank when she looked over and saw Professor Slughorn staring at them. He laughed. "Don't worry, I'm not going to take points. But as you two are the Heads of this school, I urge you to be a bit more careful about where you decide to display your affections in the future." Lily and James nodded dumbly, and Slughorn turned and walked away.

"We should go inside," James said, glancing at his watch. "We've been out here over an hour and a half."

"Really?" Lily tended to lose all track of time when she was with James.

"Yeah. It's dinnertime now. Come on." He led her inside, draping his arm around her shoulders.

One week later, all the students sat in the Great Hall for the final dinner of the year. Most of the seventh years had tears in their eyes as they hugged goodbye. A few girls that Lily barely knew came over to wish her luck in her life. Lily noticed their envious glances at the ring shining on her finger. She smiled, touching James's shoulder. Casually, he slid an arm around her, drawing her closer. He was talking with the Marauders, planning their summer. Lily laughed. Some things never changed.

Dumbledore stood up and cleared his throat loudly, and a hush fell over the room. Raising his glass, Dumbledore said, "Congratulations to all the seventh years. You finished!" A cheer erupted throughout the hall. Some people whistled and others clapped. "This is a happy day," Dumbledore continued. "You've all worked hard to make it this far, and I hope you will be successful in whatever you decide to do once you leave these walls. I also hope that you will stay in touch with your friends, for they are more important than you can imagine. Good luck to all of you. You made it!" The cheering returned in full force as all the seventh years threw their black hats into the air. Before Lily could catch hers, James pulled her close and kissed her tenderly.

"Now the real fun begins," he whispered. She smiled and took his hand, glancing at Remus and Julie as she did so. Remus had pulled Julie into a tight embrace, and Lily saw that Julie wore a grin when he finally pulled back. Lily felt the squeeze of James's hand and turned back to him.

"I love you," he told her.

"I love you, too."

Then again, some things change completely.


End file.
